Dear Colleague,

 

It has been drawn to my attention that a Danish woman at the age of 61 has given birth to a child in February 2007.

 

I have further understood that the woman concerned has had fertility treatment in the United Kingdom.

 

This occurrence has caused great discussions in the Danish media, in the public and in the Danish Parliament.

 

According to Danish law, medically assisted procreation shall not be performed if the woman is older than 45 years of age. The reasons for this regulation is that the field of reproduction involves a natural limit for women to give birth, that artificial reproduction techniques as far as possible should be analogous to natural birth giving, and that it is in the best interest of the child not to live with the risk of loosing the mother early in life.

 

I am evidently very well aware of the fact that I am not entitled to interfere in the laws and practices of your country. Nevertheless, on this occasion I take the liberty of asking, whether you have governmental discussions in your country concerning the above-mentioned ethical dilemma.  

  

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Lars Løkke Rasmussen