Let She Who Has the Womb Speak: Regulating the Use of Human Oocyte Cryopreservation to the Detriment of Older Women

“Inequality starts in the womb.” When it comes to childbearing, advances in assisted reproductive technology (ART) may negate the veracity of this quote. In her autobiography Becoming, former First Lady Michelle Obama discusses her struggles with infertility. Mrs. Obama’s difficulty getting pregnant may have stemmed from the fact that she postponed motherhood to focus on her career as a high-powered attorney. At that time, for Mrs. Obama and women of her generation, the focus was on pregnancy prevention instead of procreation preservation.

Women feared being placed on the “mommy track,” so they waited to have children until after they had achieved success in their careers.