Date published: 2006/06/20
The BBC says:
The cost of funding IVF treatment is vastly outweighed by the economic contribution the resulting child can make, according to experts.
UK researchers calculated that, while it costs £13,000 to create a baby using IVF, each child contributes £147,000 in taxes and insurance to the UK economy.
They argue the data gives weight to the argument that the NHS should fund three cycles of IVF, as clinicians recommend.
That would result in 10,000 more IVF babies over two to three years.
...
Researchers from the independent think-tank Rand Europe, said assisted reproduction should be used as a way of boosting the population.At the moment, migration is often relied on as a way of bolstering populations, but the researchers say this simply delays the costs of looking after people in their old age.
Professor Ledger said: "Funding infertility treatment is not just a benefit for the family, but also for society.
"It is a false economy not to fund it."
A bizarre argument. We might as well instead allow in millions of migrants every year, since they are all going to give a great boost to the economy without requiring this upfront cost. The fundamental problem contradicting this brilliant research is that there are far too many people on the planet and encouraging people to have children is irresponsible beyond belief. Every new child means another lifetime of environmental degradation. The alleged economic boost is a small part of the global picture.
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