For couples struggling to fall pregnant, the options available are as expensive as they care complex. Infertility is nothing short of a physical and emotional roller coaster. But when it comes to choosing between IVF, surrogacy, and adoption, few would consider turning to their father-in-law for—ahem—assistance.
According to a report by Msnbc, to a couple in the Netherlands, it was important that their child-to-be bore their genetic makeup. And since the husband failed to produce adequate sperm, and had no siblings, the couple naturally turned to the man's father to request a sperm contribution. Strangely, everyone agreed that this was the perfect collaboration.
And despite some deliberation by an ethics committee, the fertility clinic eventually agreed to go ahead with the donation.
Director of the Center for Ethics at Yeshiva University in New York City, Adrienne Asch, warns the couple might be getting into hot water when mixing, so to speak, business with pleasure.
“The notion that this child’s grandfather would be his biological father is just too bizarre for the child’s sake,” said George Annas, chair of the Department of Health Law, Bioethics & Human Rights at Boston University School of Public Health. “Family relationships are confused enough as they are when they’re not intergenerational.”
But imagine the sitcom potential! The couple fending off all those awkward 'He really looks like his Granddad...' incidences. While it may work a treat in a Larry David script, the day-to-day reality may not be so much fun.
What do you think? When it comes to artificial insemination: all in the family, or tangled family ties?
When it comes to rape, there's no excuse, right? Then what about the Swedish man whose alleged defence case alleges that he was asleep during the crime which took place in June.
The 27-year-old cited a history of sexsomnia in his testimony. Sexsomnia is a rare medical condition in which people do the dirty while sound asleep, with no recollection the next day. Sounds convenient, but is it actually true in this man's case?
After a boozy night in the village of Vihelmina, the plaintiff and defendant had both fallen asleep when he raped her. He claims to have woken only when she started pushing him. Apparently, just like this guy, he had a long history of "somnambulating sexual assault" against his girlfriend who would recount how she spent the night fending him off. Sounds exhausting and not especially gratifying, either.
It's actually not the first time sexsomoniacs have hit the stand. In 2007, a 38-year-old man was acquitted after being accused of molesting an 8-year-old girl. Just last year, another (man) accused of raping a sleeping woman got off with the sleep defence.
Do you think this defence holds solid, or is rape rape?
Hands up who has to reload the dishwasher after their husband has done it? Well, we're not alone, yummies. According to a poll reported in the Telegraph, the majority of women deem it necessary to 'do over' the chores their domestically challenged spouses proudly tackle around the house.
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