Hastings Center News
“60 Minutes” Features Vardit Ravitsky on Ethics of Egg Freezing
Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky appeared on the CBS TV news show “60 Minutes” on May 4 to discuss ethical issues raised by the increasing popularity of egg freezing as a way for young women to preserve their fertility.
Ravitsky talked with Lesley Stahl about the promise and risks of egg freezing for young women. “I think elective egg freezing sends women a message of OK, don’t worry, we have a solution for you,” Ravitsky said. “Delay motherhood. It will cost you thousands of dollars, it does involve medical risks. There’s a good chance it won’t work at the end, and if it does work your pregnancy will be riskier for you and for your baby, but that’s OK. We have a solution.”
A better solution, she argued, would be to have “policies like paid parental leave, flexible hours, child care at the workplace, to make it easier for women to have babies younger.”
She also noted disparities in access to egg freezing. “The majority of women who freeze their eggs electively are White and well-resourced,” Ravitsky said. “And there’s a significant gap in your options and your reproductive autonomy if you have resources or you don’t.”
