title: How old is too old? A contribution to the discussion on age limits for assisted reproduction technique access.
abstract: In 2012, the Czech Republic established the women's age limit for access to assisted reproduction techniques at age 49 years. In this paper, the acceptability of this age limit from the children's perspective in the Czech Republic is assessed. Although the necessity of balancing the interests of parents and children is acknowledged, little research has taken children's interests into account. We have attempted to map out 'children's interests', asking older children and adolescents (aged 11-25 years) how old they would prefer their parents to be: Czech respondents would prefer to have younger parents. This finding is consistent with the optimal biological childbearing age rather than with the current postponement to a later age. So far, assisted reproduction techniques have been largely regarded as a medical treatment justifying the current women's age limit of 49 years. Had the children's perspective been taken into account, this age limit might have been lower than 49 years. We propose that reproductive health policy should adequately reflect multiple perspectives as an integral part of a multi-layered support system of a society.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, Department of Demography and Geodemography, Charles University in Prague, Albertov 6, Prague 2 128 43, Czech Republic. Electronic address: koc@natur.cuni.cz.
authors.forename: Jiřina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kocourková
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health and Social Studies, Department of Clinical Branches, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Jírovcova 24, České Budějovice 370 04, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Hana
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Konečná
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, Department of Demography and Geodemography, Charles University in Prague, Albertov 6, Prague 2 128 43, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Burcin
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, Department of Demography and Geodemography, Charles University in Prague, Albertov 6, Prague 2 128 43, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Tomáš
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kučera
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: age limit; assisted reproduction; delayed childbearing; fertility; preferences