Since last January, Facebook has included egg-freezing among its benefits for female employees. They’re willing to cover $20,000, enough for two rounds of egg retrieval. (One round typically costs between $10,000-15,000 and its usually recommended that women do more than one). The company may also cover the cost of cold storage, which usually amounts to $500 or so a year. Apple is set to offer a similar package to its employees starting January 2015.
It should be noted however that the American Society for Reproductive Medicine lifted the “experimental” label off the procedure a mere two years ago. And even now, it still comes with a disclaimer, “we cannot at this time endorse its widespread elective use to delay childbearing.”
As for me, I’m all for reproductive rights and liberty, after all its a fundamental human need to procreate. And in certain cases (cancer, for instance) egg-freezing is a great option that many women should have. But is that really what we’re talking about here? Or should we read between the lines?
Are Facebook and Apple (and countless other companies soon I’m sure) forcing women to choose between motherhood and their careers? I’m sorry to say but there’s a reason women become pregnant in their 20s and 30s. One simply doesn’t have the patience, health or energy for children later on. (Apparently some people find this opinion rather ageist, so please excuse my traditional family values.)
And maybe I’m just a bit paranoid but in this day and age, where we’re constantly glued to our (often Apple) devices and ruled by social media, have these companies taken things too far? Is this an extreme case of corporate control? I’m curious to hear what you guys think.
the anonymous dawdler 