A woman in Australia has made headlines this morning, after officially becoming the oldest woman in the country to give birth – but it seems not everyone is in congratulatory spirit.
The unnamed Tasmanian woman, aged 62, reportedly gave birth to a daughter on Monday with her 78-year-old partner. It’s the first child for the couple, who used IVF to conceive.
Although born premature, the child – born at Perry House private hospital – is said to be doing well.
After breaking the record for the country’s oldest woman to give birth, the woman’s story went viral, and it wasn’t long before the President of the Australian Medical Association made his feelings on the subject clear.
Michael Gannon took to Twitter to brand the new mother ‘selfish’, insisting that it was ‘wrong’ to have a baby at her age.
The gynaecologist tweeted: “Greater priorities in women’s health. Child starts life in NICU. Anyone thought ahead to its teens? Selfish, wrong,”
This is a rights issue. Consider rights of the child, society, taxpayer. Madness. Not designed to have kids in 60s’ https://t.co/yYoLAlDwHs
— AMA President (@amapresident) August 2, 2016
63yo woman has #ivf baby. Greater priorities in #womenshealth. Child starts life in NICU. Anyone thought ahead to its teens? Selfish, wrong.
— AMA President (@amapresident) August 2, 2016
“This is a rights issue. Consider rights of the child, society, taxpayer. Madness. Not designed to have kids in 60s,” he added.
As you can imagine, the story itself – and Gannon’s response to it – have split opinion online.
“It’s obviously unusual, but ‘selfish, wrong’ seems like a pretty harsh view,” wrote one Twitter user.
@amapresident excuse me, but what gives you the moral authority to make that call?
— Glengyron (@glengyron) August 3, 2016
@amapresident Just looking for your outraged tweet about Mick Jagger fathering a child at 72...
— Team Oz Mate (@bebutch) August 3, 2016
Others, meanwhile, called Gannon out for being judgmental and attempting to assert some kind of moral authority over the situation.
What are your thoughts?
