Pregnant at 66: Elizabeth Adeney Defends Her Right to Be a Mother

Elizabeth Adeney is pregnant at 66. And though her extremely-late-in-life pregnancy has prompted a great deal of controversy, Elizabeth Adeney is vigorously defending her right to have a child. Elizabeth Adeney has also set a new record: she is the oldest pregnant woman in England's history.

Pregnant at 66: "I'm just a pregnant lady," proclaims Elizabeth Adeney

According to The Sun, Elizabeth Adeney's pregnancy is the result of IVF treatment using a donor egg. Elizabeth Adeney, who is eight months pregnant, is rather perplexed at the uproar her pregnancy as triggered. "I'm just a pregnant lady," said Elizabeth Adeney to The Sun. "This isn't about creating a fuss, just about becoming a mum. I may be older than other mothers but people should have better things to worry about."

Pregnant at 66: How About Pregnant at 70?

As hard as it is to believe, just last year a woman had a baby at the astonishing age of 70. Rajo Devi, a 70-year-old woman who lives in India, gave birth to a baby girl after undergoing fertility treatments. "We longed for a child all these years and now we are very happy to have one in the twilight years of our life," said Rajo Devi to the Telegraph at the time of her child's birth. She is believed to be the world's oldest mother. Before that, the worlds' oldest mother was a 67-year-old woman from Spain, who gave birth to twins in 2006.

Pregnant at 66: Ethical Considerations

Many people would argue that getting pregnant at 66 is the ultimate act of selfishness. They would question whether a woman that old has the energy and stamina required to be a good mother. In addition, when one has a child that late in life, one runs the risk of dying before their child even graduates college. This strikes many as being enormously unfair to the child.

Another issue being debated is the fact that Elizabeth Adeney got pregnant by undergoing IVF treatment. Some people are questioning the judgment of the fertility doctor(s) that treated her (this recalls the debate surrounding the wildly-controversial pregnancy of Octo-Mom Nadya Suleman). Was it a responsible decision to help a 66-year-old woman get pregnant?

The pregnancy of Elizabeth Adeney has set off a media firestorm and her story is sure to be discussed at water coolers for a long time to come.

Sources:

Agony of IVF mum Elizabeth Adeney, The Sun, May 18, 2009

Indian woman gives birth at age of 70, Telegraph.co.uk