In many areas of public policy, one could argue the United States is far less progressive than countries in the European Union. We’ve become used to hearing how the U.S. is behind our neighbors across the Atlantic in regards to important issues like paid maternity and paternity leave, infrastructure spending, healthcare costs and numerous others.
It’s true; we are behind western Europe in many important areas and hold embarrassing distinctions like being the only developed country without paid maternity leave and being one of the worst in education spending. There’s certainly an argument to be made for us to try to model policies of our own country after some of the more successful parts of European countries. However, the United States leads the way in several important issues, and we have an opportunity to continue to expand on these successes.
One important service many don’t ever have to think about is in vitro fertilization, which is used to treat infertility issues and can help people that would otherwise be unable to conceive a child. This technology, in conjunction with sperm or egg donations, is used by same-sex couples or parents who carry harmful genetic diseases to conceive their own children. This important method of creating a family is the only option for some, and it surprised me to learn about the legal obstacles that prevent this from occurring in many places in Europe.
In countries like Germany, Austria and Switzerland, often thought of as models of human rights, there is an outright ban on the donation of eggs. Many countries require couples to be married, and most of Europe even bans surrogate motherhood – completely preventing male same-sex couples from having their own children. These policies stand in complete contrast to those of the United States, where in vitro fertilization is a fairly common way to start a family for straight couples, same-sex couples and single people who are trying to become parents.
We can make these policies even better, though. The average price of an in vitro fertilization treatment in the U.S. is over $12,000, and most health insurance policies either do not cover assisted reproduction or cap the reimbursements at very low levels. Americans would likely be surprised to learn how many of their friends and coworkers were actually products of assisted reproduction technologies – over 61,000 babies were born due to IVF in 2012, showing how popular the method is. This shows how important having access to technology is for Americans who can’t have children on their own.
Another area that the U.S. leads in is, surprisingly, immigration. Most Americans recognize immigration has made our nation stronger and is an important part of who we are. Although we clearly have a broken system in need of reform, it far outpaces many of the policies of Europe.
Many European nations like France and Sweden have infamously stringent immigration policies, and the challenge of permanently moving to those countries makes our convoluted process look like a cakewalk. Major political parties in France and Sweden are campaigning to completely close off their borders to immigrants—a foreign concept to our “melting pot” nation. Perhaps the biggest issue in Europe right now is the treatment of Syrian refugees, who are being turned away in southern Europe as their home country is ravaged by war.
In light of this, immigration reform seems more important than ever. We can take advantage of the stringent policies of Europe by attracting the skilled immigrants being turned away, which will boost our economy. We can also be a beacon for human rights, by creating a humane and fair system for refugees, all while cutting down illegal immigration.
Kyle Simpson is a junior majoring in biology. His column runs weekly.
