$490 a month in food stamps to feed, cloth & provide for 14 young children!
It is an especially bleak portrait of struggle, a grim picture indeed. But this is not a story of a family that has fallen upon hard times. Far from it.
The steps required to arrive at these circumstances were meticulously planned & carefully timed. They required incredible effort & intervention – believe it or not – 14 young children brought into this world with neither care nor regard – was…is…by design.
By now everyone will have heard of the “octuplets” – but the world’s ‘awe’ has faded to disbelief as it was revealed that the ‘miracle mother’ already has 6 children. AND not just 6 children, that’s 6 children under the age of 7! AND it gets worse – these 6 children are now in the care of the grandmother, who claims the mother already has a hard time providing for them!
The Mother
As the story progresses more and more evidence is shining a not-so-positive light on this mother and her ability to care for this many children. I would argue that even a happily married millionaire would have a hard time caring for 16 children under the age of 7; with 8 of these children requiring regular diaper changes, feedings, not to mention their conflicting sleep patterns! Of course, I am not making light of the situation, this woman is clearly lacking in judgement skills (I’m feeling polite tonight 
) & her children will likely be the ultimate victims once the 15 minutes of fame is over.
As most already realize – having 8 babies at once is neither act of G*d nor freak of nature – it took human ingenuity & careless disregard to make this happen. Like most multiple-multiple-multiple births, this one was initiated by in-vitro fertilization. Say what you will about the mother — armchair psychologists have diagnosed everything from Münchausen syndrome by proxy to just plain stupidity (the jury is still out) — I’m reserving the bulk of my ’displeasure’ for the so-called medical-professionals that made this happen!
The Doctor
The doctor responsible for this woman’s most recent litter is the same doctor responsible for her other 6 children. Not only did he go against established medical standards this time, he did so for all 6 of her pregnancies! Instead of the recommended maximum of 3, he implanted 6 embryos each time. This establishes a pattern of repeatedly breaching medical guidelines. One wonders how many other women he has attempted to “bless” with the “gift” of 8 hungry mouths, 8 simultaneous dirty diapers, 8 different sleep patterns.
Besides breaching medical standards, this doctor has clearly breached his Hippocratic Oath of “do not harm”. As the human body has not evolved (or designed 
) to carry 8 simultaneous fetuses to term, he put the woman under extreme strain & risk. And few would dispute the fact that he harmed the babies, for it’s established that the more births carried at once, the higher the chances of life altering or life taking complications. In fairness to the medical professional(s) – there have been reports that the woman was counseled on the options of terminating some of the pregnancies early on but refused.
Still, my main qualm with the medical professionals is not that of medical malfeasance. I am far more troubled by the total lack discretion. How was a woman who already required assistance in caring for her 6 children — able to so lackadaisically get medical assistance in creating 8 more hungry mouths? For myself, this is the most striking aspect of this story – it raises several fascinating ethical & philosophical questions.
Ethical & Moral Conundrums
A woman walks into a doctor’s office and asks to be “made pregnant”… Beyond the transfer of large sums of money & a physical examination are there no other prerequisites to assisted pregnancy?
Should there be?
How would one decide who to grant & who to deny the ability to reproduce? All extremely difficult questions, ones I do not claim to be able to answer.
There is no questionnaire, no audit, or licensing procedure that qualifies people to ‘make babies’ (unless they are of the canine species). There is nothing (outside of China) that forbids healthy adults from bringing life into this world. The question thus becomes a moral/ethical dilemma: is it right to audit or qualify people who require a doctors assistance to get pregnant when the rest of the world can just make a baby with no questions asked?
If we hold the doctor responsible for this fertilization then do we also reprimand doctors who don’t counsel those on welfare or are unemployed against having babies?
What of doctors who aid or encourage those with a high likelihood of passing a genetic disease onto their progeny?
What of those that aid in the pregnancies of the mentally ill? the physically disabled? the mentally challenged?…the unwed?
Still, should a doctor be denied the right to refuse a woman that treats life like a cheap commodity?
Does a doctor not have a duty to discourage lives created for the sole purpose of sale & the enduring of unimaginable abuse?
Tonight I am just asking the questions…
Trackposted to Nuke’s, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Allie is Wired, Political Byline, Woman Honor Thyself, Walls of the City, The World According to Carl, DragonLady’s World, Shadowscope, The Pink Flamingo, Cao’s Blog, CORSARI D’ITALIA, Democrat=Socialist, Conservative Cat, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe. Hot Air
9 responses so far ↓
Angel // Feb 15, 2009 at 6:32 pm
brilliant overview..the whole matter is nauseating!..and her Izlamic background is simply glossed over eh?
1 Donna // Feb 17, 2009 at 9:46 pm
I just don’t understand the violence and death threats against her, the children and the publicist. We may not agree with invitro but to want to harm someone is ridiculous. Basically she was targeted because she chose not to abort the babies. So in ither words, her doctor went outside of the guidelines and now her and the children are receiving all the hate.
The American syndrome of it’s all the woman’s fault.
She has the right to choose, just like a woman who has abortions.
Her reproductive rights are no one else’s business just because she gets food stamps. There are millions of other Americans on food stamps and we are not in front of their homes with cameras.
Just leave them alone.
2 Wingless // Feb 18, 2009 at 2:52 am
—————–
I just don’t understand the violence and death threats against her, the children and the publicist.
—————–
Donna, I have not heard of any violence or death threats being lobbed at her (can you forward me a link so I can investigate?). That said – it would not surprise me all that much as there’s a yahoo for every issue. I would definitely STAND AGAINST ANYONE WHO WOULD DO HARM to this woman or her children. This blog stands against terror in all it’s forms, especially when it targets innocents.
The “Western World” is made stronger by its traditions of critique & criticism, however, these traditions must always be balanced by the Western mores of Universalism & tolerance. In other words: we can debate, ponder & reach personal judgments on all topics & all people BUT at the end of the day, if nobody is being hurt (in this case that is still unclear) then we must live and let live.
—————–
The American syndrome of it’s all the woman’s fault.
—————–
I really hope you aren’t going to jump the ‘Anti-America bandwagon’, especially on the issue of woman’s rights!
Don’t blame the West or especially “America” for the outbursts of a few “Yahoos” – we both know they are the tiny minority! Contrast this to other parts of the world were women are persecuted, burned, maimed and murdered daily with the blessings of the majority! Contrast this to nations were women are not allowed to drive, or nations were a RAPE VICTIM IS CRIMINALLY PROSECUTED for them being raped is PROOF-POSITIVE that she left home without a male escort, which is a CRIME in some countries!
Women in America 100 years ago had more rights than most women have in the world TODAY! Before you jump the anti-America bandwagon consider the alternatives!
—————–
We may not agree with invitro but to want to harm someone is ridiculous
—————–
Harming her or her children would be a crime. Still, people’s objections are not so much with in-vitro (which I believe is a generally accepted procedure) as they are with the fact that this woman brought 8 hungry mouths into this world with little or no regard as to her ability to provide! There is also a backlash at the doctor & overall medical community for its lack of oversight & seemingly lackadaisical attitude towards the creation of life (not to mention the ethics of these multi-multi-multi births). I think the emotion that drives most is concern for the children. My own stance is more cautious & reflective. Sure – more oversight would prevent such occurrences but do we, as a society, really want to concede our ability to freely conceive?
—————–
Her reproductive rights are no one else’s business just because she gets food stamps… There are millions of other Americans on food stamps and we are not in front of their homes with cameras…Just leave them alone
—————–
But she is not on TV because she gets food stamps!!! She was on TV long before most knew of her financial troubles. She wanted her 15 minutes of fame and some would argue that she milked it for all it was worth. SHE CHOSE TO CARRY 8 BABIES TO TERM, SHE CHOSE TO DO INTERVIEWS… When you go after “15 minutes of fame” you better be ready for your dirty laundry to be aired. As any celebrity or person in the spotlight – FAME IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD!
As for it being no one’s business… So long as she can feed and care for these children you are right but as soon as she steps over the line and infringes upon their rights to health, life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness IT DEFINITELY becomes somebody’s business. Her rights & freedoms do not trump the rights & freedoms of her children. She has every right to have those babies – but with that right come responsibilities.
3 mark // Apr 15, 2009 at 1:33 am
Excellent site, It was pleasant to me.
4 sandra742 // Sep 9, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.
5 angelina jolie // Sep 10, 2009 at 6:09 pm
I love your site.
Love design!!! I just came across your blog and wanted to say that I
6 angelina jolie // Sep 10, 2009 at 6:09 pm
I love your site.
Love design!!! I just came across your blog and wanted to say that I
7 megan fox // Sep 11, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Sign: umsun Hello!!! rcuwwymhyw and 635ssgfhphzye and 3362I will try to recommend this post to my friends and family, cuz it
8 Piosenki Rosyjskie // Oct 9, 2009 at 4:21 am
Very interesting post, thanks!
Leave a Comment
10 trackbacks so far ↓
1 Israel sends Aid Into Gaza; Hamas Sends Rockets Into Israel | Wingless // Feb 14, 2009 at 11:33 am
2 Your “President” Wants Your Input | Democrat = Socialist // Feb 15, 2009 at 1:08 am
3 Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker // Feb 15, 2009 at 1:19 am
4 Observations Of Why America Will Never Be United Again | Democrat = Socialist // Feb 15, 2009 at 10:43 pm
5 Monday night linkage « Nuke’s // Feb 17, 2009 at 5:17 am
6 Leaning Straight Up » LSU, back on the grid (Sunday Musings: the day late edition) // Feb 17, 2009 at 9:51 am
7 No Need For The Automakers And UAW To Meet Today’s Deadline, You Are Handing Them $7 Billion Today, No Questions Asked — But As For Me // Feb 17, 2009 at 5:24 pm
8 Leaning Straight Up » Housing crisis solutions: Feeding the addiction // Feb 19, 2009 at 11:40 am
9 Boycotting Israel Academics… Beware the big bad Jew… | Wingless // Feb 25, 2009 at 5:03 am
10 The Pink Flamingo // Jun 25, 2009 at 7:07 pm