Very interesting article about in vitro babies being denied citizenship because they do not have "biological links" to U.S. citizens. This speaks to issues of immigration and globalization.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-03-19/in-vitro-citizenship/53656616/1#.T2nnJeVznug.email
This article completely blew me away, especially since this article was published in 2012. This woman is a U.S. citizen and simply wants her children to become U.S. citizens. Unfortunately, the act of previous people lying about their citizenship have caused Lavi to not be able to have her children become U.S. citizens. I find this ridiculous. What I think is really crazy is children adopted overseas by U.S. citizens have the opportunity to become citizens and a baby born on U.S. soil is an American even if the parents are not. However, a child born overseas through in vitro fertilization from donor eggs and sperm is not considered American unless one of the donors is an American citizen. This is such a problem, because it is hard to prove since there are such big issues with confidentiality. Clinics can not give this type of information away. In vitro fertilization has become an increasing action that this type incident is going to cause further problems. Due to all of this inequality towards her children, Lavi has given up pursing her children's citizenship. I found this article to be frustrating and extremely unfair. I thought America was becoming a country with more equality rather than inequality. I guess that is an incorrect statement.
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ReplyDeleteThis article stood out to me because of the title, "In Vitro Babies Denied U.S. Citizenship". "The law exists for a very good reason: to avoid having people claim that other people's kids are their own for purpose of obtaining U.S. citizenship," said Kristen Williamson, spokesperson for the Federation for American Immigration Reform. Though this law may exist for a few good reasons, there are obviously some tweaking, re-wording, or rewriting that needs to take place. It is sad that this American woman that gave birth to two American children in America who will not become American citizens any time soon. This woman deserves the right to have allowed U.S. Citizenship for her children because they were born in America and their birth certificate states this; there mother is also American. After reading this news article it is hard to believe that it is 2012, and out country still faces issues and struggles like this. Isn't America the country of freedom, equality, and opportunities? Well this is what I (as I am sure many of us have) was taught in school and politics continue to preach to us about. If this very statement is true, why are we not allowing this mother and her two toddlers an equal opportunity/chance.
ReplyDeleteChildren that have been adopted overseas can become US citizens to an American parent, but Lavi cannot have her children become citizens after giving birth to them. This is very frustrating as she pointed out that someone walked by and asked if those were her children. From other peoples mistakes in the past, it has been taken out on her and her will to have her children become citizens. None of that seems fair at all to me.
ReplyDeleteThis is, very simply and bluntly, stupidity. There is no reason whatsoever why this woman's children should not be granted citizenship in the United States. This is simply bureaucracy at its most hideous.
ReplyDeleteThis article is just one of the many events that show how the law has not caught up with technology. I think that it’s insane that a child from another country can be granted American citizenship through adoption, but a child who is born to an American citizen cannot unless a donor is American. Like the article said, a lot of information about donors is disclosed, so the parents may never be able to gather the necessary information. There is a difference between being a surrogate mother to birth someone else’s children and receiving fertility treatments to have your own children. The law should be amended to correct these inconsistencies.
ReplyDeleteI can understand why the government has made this law, because too many people try to take advantage of opportunities like this. Because people lie and come into the United States illegally, people are taking advantage of opportunities like using in vitro to claim their children as Americans. i think that maybe the laws in general on in vitro and birth should be revised, because so many problems arise. I think that Lavi should be able to have her kids become US citizens. The laws on fertility should be updated because what about when woman are infertile and must have egg donors and sperm donors? just because their child is biologically not theirs, they still had to pay money, go through the pregnancy, and labor to have a child they thought was going to be considered a US citizen. I also think that clinics that provide these opportunities to men and women should educate the people undergoing these actions.
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