Op-Ed: Choosing Chance: Sandel’s The Case against Perfection

August 21, 2007

By Debra Greenfield

I consider myself a typical baby boomer. War protester, flower child, and a believer in the new feminist movement, I adopted its mantra of choice to influence many decisions that followed. Specifically, I became a poster child for what became known as “reproductive choice.” When I was offered the dangerous Dalkon shield for birth control, I chose it. When the momentous decision regarding an unwanted pregnancy arose, I chose the available abortion. When I entered my late thirties, I finally chose to have a child, but following my son’s birth, I chose sterilization and had my tubes tied. Later, wanting another biological child, I chose to undergo surgery to undo the results of my previous decision. Still having difficulties and having reached the age of 40, I chose all available methods to increase my chances to become pregnant: fertility drugs and then in-vitro fertilization, at that time a brand new and fairly untested treatment. When the IVF failed, I ran out of reproductive choices; my second pregnancy occurred without technological assistance, a gift. My second son had chosen me.

As I’ve looked back on my history, I’ve come to doubt that some of these “choices” were truly choices at all. (Read More from the Hastings Center Bioethics Forum)