Who is Playing God?

Carmela Bousada, a 67-year-old retired Spanish department store clerk, gave birth to twin boys Dec. 29 in Barcelona and became the world's oldest new mother! She became pregnant with the aid of fertility medicine. But the cutoff age in her fertility clinic is 55, and she had to lie to cover up her age.

One question raised by critics is whether aging parents will be able to cope with toddlers at retirement age. Furthermore, women over 50 face an increased risk of pregnancy complications, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

On the other hand, pregnancy decision seems to be very personal thing. "That's like taking a 25-year-old parent with seven kids living on welfare, who smokes and abuses her children and saying that she's a good parent just because she's young", says Jan Andersen, who runs www.mothersover40.com.