Inside a crowded rural hospital, gray-haired Nananki Rohtash rested on a
cot, her swollen legs elevated while her sister-in-law paced nearby.
Rohtash is a 60-year-old mother of five and a grandmother of eight.
She's also nine months pregnant, the result of an in vitro fertilization
clinic, one of hundreds that have opened recently in India, urging
clients to "Come alone. Leave as a family. Age no bar.''
With 1.2 billion people, India is still growing rapidly, and there are
few efforts to control population growth, in sharp contrast to China's
one-child policy. Some planning advocates argue that India's population
is stalling development, adding to unemployment, and overwhelming roads,
schools, water supplies and other basic infrastructure needs.
There are no government regulations for IVF clinics, especially in rural
areas of northern India, and women older than 50 make up a surprising
number of their patients, in a country where giving birth to many
children defines a woman's worth and is considered parents' best chance
for financial security.
Rohtash was awaiting a Caesarean section in the private National
Fertility Center in Hisar...
