Why Paris Hilton's IVF Journey Is Causing Such Controversy
When Paris Hilton announced that she was planning to welcome a son and a daughter through in-vitro fertilization (IVF) during an interview on The Trend Reporter With Mara earlier this week, many were left feeling offended by the "insensitive" and "disappointing" revelation.
Because Paris and her current boyfriend, Carter Reum, do not yet have any children of their own, Paris revealed that she sought out IVF because she knew it was the only way she would be able to ensure the upcoming birth of twins, one male and one female.
"We have been doing the IVF, so I can pick twins if I like," she explained. " ... I really want twins that are a boy and a girl, and the only way you can 100 percent get that is by making it happen that way. ... I'm really excited just to move on for the next step of my life and finally just have a real life. Because I really do believe that having a family and having children is the meaning of life."
Following the interview, several Twitter users took aim at Hilton for being "absolutely tone deaf" in seeking out IVF when others are forced to go through the process due to infertility. Read on to find out what they had to say.
Paris Hilton was immediately slammed by Twitter users
The backlash from Paris Hilton's revelation was swift and severe.
"I wish her well on her journey so that she never has to realize how absolutely tone deaf this is for anyone who has struggled with infertility and undergone IVF. For most people it isn't there as a novelty to choose gender, but their last hope at the baby they want so badly," one person pointed out.
"This is the most insensitive and disappointing thing I have read in people mag in a LONG time," another fumed. "IVF is tough, not just physically, but emotionally. most women have suffered through heartbreak, surgeries, loss, silence and isolation for YEARS before pursuing IVF. I expected better."
"Her comments on IVF (being able to 'pick' twins) are nothing short of infuriating and woefully misguided. She is doing a great disservice to the infertility community," stated a third.
Another person noted that Paris should take family planning more seriously.
"Anyone who needs to select a gender shouldn't have children! A baby is a baby. Either you want one or you don't. This isn't shopping for a handbag," said a third Twittter user.
How is sex selection done?
According to a report from Parents, which came in response to Chrissy Teigen and John Legend confirming the chose to have a female child when they conceived their daughter Luna Simone, the actual selection of a child's sex comes during the screening procedure of IVF after the sex of each retrieved embryo is confirmed by way of chromosome identification.
Dr. Elena Trukhacheva, the president and medical director of the Reproductive Medicine Institute, said that when it comes to the screening procedure, that is typically performed in an effort to choose the healthiest embryos to implant into the mother's womb.
"The screening is in response to medical indications, such as multiple miscarriages or failed past IVF cycles, or advanced maternal age [over 35]," Trukhacheva said. "With a regular cycle, about 40 to 50 percent of implanted embryos will result in a healthy pregnancy. Using a screened embryo increases those chances to about 60 to 70 percent."
Dr. Trukhacheva went on to note that because about half of her patients request sex selection, she doesn't feel there are any ethical issues present.
"It's usually an issue of balance, that the couple has two boys and would like a girl, or vice versa," she explained.