Zsa Zsa Gabor Trying to Have Kid at 94

Zsa Zsa Gabor's 67-year-old husband says he and the 94-year-old actress are seeking to have a child through a surrogate.

As I contemplate my own sanity with a 2-year-old and another one on the way at the ripe old age of 45, I’m reminded that there are crazier people out there.

CNN (“Zsa Zsa Gabor to become new mother at 94, husband says“):

Zsa Zsa Gabor’s husband wants his 94-year-old wife to become a mother again using an egg donor, artificial insemination and a surrogate mother, Prince Frederic von Anhalt told CNN Thursday.

“I’ve gone through the initial steps of donor matching and blood work and next week the donation process will begin,” von Anhalt said.
Gabor’s only child, Francesca Hilton, described herself as shocked when told of the plan Thursday. “That’s just weird,” Hilton said.

Agreed!

Thankfully, sidebar story counsels, “Relax! The Zsa Zsa-baby thing won’t happen.”

Sounds like a miracle of modern science, right?

Wrong. There are a bunch of significant problems with the whole scenario that make it, in the end, just another sensational Hollywood tale that won’t actually happen.

First off, while Gabor’s husband says he’ll spend about $100,000 for the couple to have a child, it won’t be biologically connected to the actress. In fact, while some women are today having children in their 40s and 50s, there exists no technology to make a child that is the biological offspring of a 94-year-old woman.

Prince Frederic von Anhalt told CNN he is finding an egg donor and a surrogate for the purposes of artificial insemination. Theoretically, that means his sperm would fertilize the donor’s eggs and then one or two resulting embryos would be implanted into a surrogate. Current guidelines suggest that the combined age of two biological parents shouldn’t be above 100; if 67-year-old von Anhalt is the father, the egg donor will have to be under 34. He could alternatively use an anonymous sperm donor.

But it’s not as simple as that. Dr. Dan Shapiro of Reproductive Biologic Associates of Atlanta says von Anhalt and Gabor’s public desire to have a child would not be considered a legitimate reason to go through with this procedure, given the circumstances. Gabor has suffered significant health problems and would have to pass a psychological evaluation to become the child’s legal mother.

In her condition, it’s questionable whether she can consent to the conception of the child Shapiro said. And without Gabor’s consent to be a legal parent, her husband cannot legally enter into a contract of this nature while married.

“This is not a reasonable request. This is not a childless family seeking to family-build,” he said.

There is also a whole bunch of ethical issues raised in the situation that would make any credible fertility clinic decline the request, he said.

“Just because you’re capable of creating a baby and creating a family, is it in the interest of the couple? In the interest of the baby? Is there a social interest in making families that look like this? I think the answer in this particular situation is no, no, no.'”

There need to be some profane modifiers added to those no’s.

via Steven Metz

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Steve Verdon says:

    As I contemplate my own sanity with a 2-year-old and another one on the way at the ripe old age of 45, I’m reminded that there are crazier people out there.

    Your 2 year old must be very, very good. My wife and I were 29/26 respectively and our son was such a PITA till about 2.5-3 we decided “that’s enough.” Can’t imagine going through that again now that I’m 43.

    You’re a brave, brave man James.

  2. James Joyner says:

    @Steve: Yeah, she’s pretty good. Not the world’s best sleeper and very willful at times, but no complaints. But the window was closing fast, so it was now or never for #2.

  3. Yes, I am almost 43 and the sleeplessness associated with a baby might kill me now.

    Of course, since my 14 year-old is consistently keeping us up to midnight with homework issues it has a certain deja vu quality.

  4. Southern Hoosier says:

    Maybe they could just clone her like they did Dolly the sheep. Then she could have a 94 year old baby.