Radio station IVF competition winners
The Ottawa radio station controversial “Win a Baby!” contest pitted five couples desperate to conceive against each other to win a prize of three in-vitro fertility treatments worth $35,000. The winner was to be the couple that received the most votes from the public.Five winners
On Tuesday morning, however, after “tens of thousands” of votes had been cast, New Hot 89.9 ultimately awarded all five finalists a prize. “The second before the announcement felt like forever,” Natasha Derouchie said after a sleepless night. “I had to hear it twice.”
Praise & criticism
The contest proved controversial among ethicists, infertility advocates and some listeners. Others praised the station, however, for bringing the issue some much-needed attention.
Contest rule change
While fertility treatments are now publicly funded in Quebec, they are not in Ontario. Morning show host Jeff Mauler said he and his team realized how heartbreaking it would be for the other four couples in the finals to watch someone else win. “It just didn’t sit right,” he said. The station approved a budget of up to $175,000 so all five couples could be eligible for treatment.
Shock
Silence filled the room after the announcement as the couples absorbed the news, followed by sobs of joy. “I was shaking,” said Tracy Broad, another of the contestants. Tuesday was also her 30th birthday. Although she’d never entered a contest before, Broad applied to “win a baby” immediately after hearing the advertisement. She and her husband Nathan, or Couple C, tried for three years to have a child but couldn’t afford IVF treatment. “I owe so much to that station for the gift that they’ve given my husband and me,” she said. “It’s been a miracle.”
Emotionally exploitative
Even though the contest ended well, it was still emotionally exploitative, said Arthur Schafer, director at the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba. “The fact that everyone won doesn’t take away from that.”
The couples
Couple A: Has been trying for a family since they got married five years ago. They also dealt with a car accident and a layoff.
Couple B: Together for four years, they have trouble putting into words how much they want a baby. “I feel like I have lost part of my heart. We feel stuck in limbo, life is moving on without us while others live our dream.”
Couple C: Tried everything to have a baby — they quit smoking, eat healthy and take vitamins, but nothing has worked.
Couple D: Has been best friends since they were kids. They thought the male partner would never be able to have children due to a reproductive malformation, but they recently discovered this is not the case — they can potentially conceive through IVF.
Couple E: Cannot conceive naturally because four years ago, the man was in a car accident that left him a quadriplegic and diminished his sperm count.
Read more at: thestar.com