If The Shoe Fits!

We expend a lot of energy trying to get the rest of the world to see itself as we would have them. What we sometimes don't do well is lead by example. We're a very self indulgent people.

The news has been full of the story about a single mother of six who just gave birth to an additional eight - all conceived by vitro fertilization. The ethics issue involved here is a book yet to be written as well as the idea that we tax payers will undoubtedly foot the bill until the children reach the age of responsibility. The mother obviously has not at age 33!

Other countries in the world are concerned about their over population problems. China, for instance, one child per family. I am not an advocate of this degree of big brotherism but with economies suffering to the extent that children cannot be fed, housed, cared for nor educated, maybe the restrictions make some sense.

Now, it would seem the Brits are suggesting that couples having more than two children are creating a huge burden on the environment. A study claims each child born in Britain will burn carbon roughly equivalent to 2 1/2 acres of old growth oak woodland in its lifetime.

The global population is expected to be 9.2 billion by 2050. Multiply that out! Does the world have that much acreage in woodland? Are we killing ourselves here or what?

There has been a great deal of controversy about U.S. tax dollars going to support family planning efforts around the world if they include contraception and/or abortion. It's bad enough that teenage pregnancies are still outrageously high and that no matter what the country may be, someone other than the mother will bear the financial burden.

It's even worse when in this country an unmarried mother stockpiles embryos just because she wants babies! And she is able to do so! She's adding to the environmental problem on my dollar. Enough.

Use my tax dollars if you must but at least let them go to stem cell research! Not the old lady in the shoe.