What Do You Think?

In California, and throughout the rest of the world, this story is the talk of the town this week - the story of a young woman who gave birth to a litter of octuplets in Los Angeles.

I am posting a series of reactions (below the fold) from the blogoshpere; and as I read through the various commentators remarks, I can’t help but find myself agreeing with those bloggers who say that, however much we may disagree with the choice that this woman has made given her socio-economic lot in life as well as her own personal lifestyle, enforcing limits on exactly how many children we should be allowed to have, has very disturbing, sinister connotations. I am referring specifically to the reports in the UK press this last week about moves to advise families to ‘stop at 2 children’…well, personally, as a mom of two children myself, I can’t see how that will or should be imposed on anyone else. I, for one, would like to have another child and don’t believe that it’s another person’s or government’s place to tell me when and how many children to have. That said, I do believe that we should all be encouraged to take personal responsibility for our decisions related to our families and our children and that is where I find myself puzzled by the young lady in Los Angeles who after already having six children sought out fertility treatments to net her eight more children.

I can’t help but find myself feeling that this mother is demonstrating a heightened selfishness and an all-out abdication of her personal and financial responsibility to rear and care for these children. The reports of the mother’s dependency upon the welfare system as well as her poor ol’ grandmother are especially troubling to me. Dependency upon the welfare system is not taking ownership of one’s personal responsibility.

While multiple pregnancies are fascinating and interesting to many an onlooker, the challenges that come with raising and caring for multiples shouldn’t be glossed over…from infant care issues to medical and financial challenges, the difficulties can be many!

One baby is a handful.
Twins can be seriously nuts…and, I’d know firsthand on that!
Triplets must be absolute, total insanity.
More than that is pretty hard to fathom.

Yes, babies are a blessing. But eight of them at once? That’s blessing overload. Eight is such a HUGE number, it’s comical. Except it’s not funny at all. Who’s going to take care of all those babies? The poor grandmother with whom the octuplets are presently living? Who’s going to pay for the wipes and the diapers? Newborns often leave their mark on as many as 10 diapers a day for the first three months…that’s 7,200 diapers in the first 90 days! Then, of course, there is the clothing and the car seats, not to mention the passenger van required to accommodate all those car seats? So, again I ask, who is going to care for these children and provide for all their needs? Who is going to feed them? And, how? Finally, since these eight babies were all preemies, who is going to care for their unique special needs? Preemies are far more precarious to care for than full-term babies, from their vulnerable immune systems to a whole host of other medical issues, particularly for the first few months of life...how will these preemies be assured of proper infant care, medical and healthcare? And, in the event that there are any long-term complications or health issues as a result of their premature birth, will these babies have the necessary early intervention services and proper medical care to help them?

Now I leave you to read for yourselves just some of the many commentators and bloggers’ reactions to the mother of six who just recently gave birth to eight more….

- Reactions From the Blogoshpere -

Lisa Belkin at Motherlode at The New York Times wrote Update on the Octuplets.

I covered medical ethics for years for this newspaper, and wrote a

book on the subject, and while I have not directly heard this mother’s story nor that of any doctors involved, at the moment I cannot think of a scenario that would ethically allow the implantation of eight embryos in a woman who already had six children. Actually I can’t think of scenario that would allow the implementation of eight embryos ever. There is just too much risk here — to the mother, to the newborns, even to the emotional needs of the existing children. And we need not even get started on the expense.

Britgirl at Like It Is wrote

On Octuplets, Having 14 Kids and Other Stupidities of our Times.

No, what’s ridiculous is that this mother who is single, with the stability of the husband being in doubt (I’m not sure whether the husband referred to is the grandmother’s husband or the mother’s. A little confusing) is apparently without two brain cells to rub together is selfish and irresponsible, has apparently just declared bankruptcy, so… let’s see now, won’t have money, lives with her grandmother, so hasn’t got her own place
and…
has six OTHER children ranging from 7 to 2 years old…
…had fertility treatment. W.T.F?

Nechama Brodie at The Hunter Gatherer at The Times in South Africa wrote

Mother of octuplets already has six kids.

The birth of the multiples – the first time ever that all eight have survived (a previous set of octuplets, born ten years ago, lost one baby; seven survived) – has prompted wide debate over the use and abuse of fertility treatment, and whether or not it is ethical to allow a woman to carry so many foetuses. I can’t help but think, in this “reality TV” world we live in, people are desparate to become “celebrities”.

Caltechgirl at Not Exactly Rocket Science wrote

Keep your laws off my octuplets!

You can't have it both ways, either people get to choose the family they want, or they don't. And if they don't, who makes the rules? Based on what?

Darragh at This is what I do wrote

Mother of octuplets has six other children.

I can only imagine what this woman must be thinking or planning. Of course in the back of my mind the Kilkenny man is thinking "All she needs now is one more for a hurling team."

Deanna at Deanna's Ramblings wrote

Octuplets Make Fourteen.

As I said, I get the want and need to have a child. But what’s the point where more is too much? What’s the point when the problems outweight the benefits? I really don’t know what the answer is. But this situation strikes me as unhealthy.

Meagan Francis wrote

octuplet opinions.

But the truth is, I haven’t been able to muster up much of an opinion on this at all. It’s just too bizarre, with too many unanswered questions. First of all, I don’t feel like it is really a story about big families at all. It’s more a story about medical technology and the ethics of using it.

Karla at Baby G's From the Start wrote

Did You Hear About the Octuplets?

So, I do think it is a little wild that a women who already has 6 kids at home, is bringing home another 8....and is going to have the time and supply to breastfeed them all. It kind-of makes my situation seem like a breeze. I mean if she can do that, how could triplets be a challenge? I assure you my friends, it is a challenge. 14 kids seems downright impossible. Especially if 8 are preemies, which carry many challenges alone.

Deacon Greg Kandra at The Deacon's Bench wrote Octuplets: pro-life to the max.

UPDATE:As a couple commenters have noted, there are serious moral questions about how this was done. And I have to add: there's something just plain peculiar about this whole thing. A woman with six children (including a set of twins) has IVF to have more, knowing full-well she could have a lot more...and she may not even be married? It's...odd. To say the least.

Monica Mingo at Rantings of a Creole Princess wrote

Single Mother of 6 + Fertility Drugs + Octuplets = Single Mother of 14.

I don't quite know what to make of this.
Initially I'm like...is it anyone's business if she has 14 children?
Then I'm wondering...if she already has 6...why would she want more if she's a single mother?

But again...is it anyone's business?
I guess the fact that she's a single mother of 6 already makes one question her choice of taking the fertility drugs right?
Should people be up in arms thinking about her receiving welfare for these children? Should the factor that the welfare she would receive not be enough to cover the basics be taken into consideration?
Should someone even GET welfare for a child they had by taking infertility drugs?????????
THIS ONE IS ALL OVER THE PLACE!

Dr. Amy Tuteur of The Skeptical OB wrote

Who helped a mother of six conceive octuplets?

Something does not add up here. A young, presumably unmarried woman, living at home with her parents, who already has 6 children is exceedingly unlikely to be diagnosed with infertility, is unlikely to be treated for infertility even if she is having difficulty getting pregnant, could not have had 8 embryos placed in her uterus by in-vitro fertilization and would almost certainly be counseled to avoid intercourse in any cycle where 8 follicles were developing. Add to that the fact that the woman showed up for care already pregnant with octuplets and suspicions are raised that this pregnancy was conceived in a deliberate effort to have a spectacular outcome, including any publicity and money it might generate.

Now it's your turn. Well, what do you think?