BABY STEPS

In “An Infant Science” (March 6), author Nancy Wartik peppers her piece on the exciting advances in assisted reproduction with a pervasive pessimism. I am pleased that the writer did not have the opportunity to tell Nancy Kerrigan what the odds were against her winning an Olympic medal. Couples who pursue assisted reproduction despite the odds do so because it represents the culmination of their lives’ hopes and dreams.

But couples planning to use assisted fertilization techniques should thoroughly investigate each center they consider, a task now made easier by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, the first medical group to make statistical information available directly to consumers.

DR. ARTHUR L. WISOT

CENTER FOR ADVANCED REPRODUCTIVE CARE

Redondo Beach

Those who feel guilty about being unable to conceive might do well to reflect on the population explosion. Scientists tell us that by the year 2010 the Earth’s resources will be so depleted that the planet will be able to support only 2 billion people, with the world’s population already closing in on the 6-billion mark.

Human beings, supposedly the Earth’s most intelligent species, are in imminent danger of reproducing themselves out of existence. Rather than encourage fertility labs, we should outlaw them.

DON GATELY

Valencia

Thank you for the unbiased view of the fertility industry. My husband and I have been there, and it was not a positive experience. When we decided to stop, the staff at the clinic attempted to make us feel like failures. It was very difficult to obtain accurate statistics on success rates. The clinic we worked with advertised a caring staff “who feel your pain.” They were also the most manipulative, aggressive salespeople I have ever met.

I intend to carry a copy of your article with me to give to well-meaning acquaintances who ask why we don’t have children, and then proceed to talk about “the wonderful things doctors are doing these days.”

JANIE BROWN

Riverside