California Woman Gives Birth to Eight Babies
by Brady Swenson, RH Reality Check
January 27, 2009 - 12:26pm (Print)
Early this morning in Los Angeles County a woman gave birth to eight babies in just five minutes, thought to be only the second time in history that live octuplets have been born.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports:
The mother, who has not been identified, gave birth by cesarean section to six boys and two girls weighing between 1.8 pounds and 3.4 pounds, said doctors at Kaiser Permanante Medical Center.
"It's a surprise," said Dr. Karen Maples. "Eight newborns are in stable condition and they're doing quite well."
Kaiser spokeswoman Myra Suarez said she could not release any information about the mother, including her condition or whether she used fertility drugs.
The first live-born octuplets were born in Houston in December 1998. They were three months premature and their weights ranged from 11 ounces to 1 pound, 11 ounces. The tiniest infant died of heart and lung failure a week after being born. The surviving siblings turned 10 in December.
Dr. Richard Paulson, director of the fertility program at the University of Southern California, spoke of the risks of trying to birth all eight babies:
... if the babies were born prematurely they may face serious health risks. The mother faces an increased risk of hemorrhage, Paulson said.
"It's a risky decision to try to have all eight babies," said Paulson, who had no role in the delivery. "I would not recommend it under any circumstances, but I respect a parent's decision."
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I hope the inclusion of Dr Paulson's comment was not a subtle attempt to cast judgment on this woman's free choice to birth all eight of her babies.
... to cast judgement on a purely medical level. It is dangerous to continue a pregnancy with 8 fetuses, for both the fetuses and for the woman. Many fertility clinics, particularly in Europe, have recognized the ethical concerns and will only inplant a couple of zygotes at a time in an IVF procedure and monitor the use of fertily inducing medications (clomid) very closely, and sometimes require the woman to sign an agreement for selective reduction should more than a certain number of zygotes implant. Since fertility treatments are purely voluntary, having restrictions in place is not denying a choice when the restrictions serve a medical purpose.
I would never tell a woman what she has to do in regards to her pregnancy; but I don't think it is untoward to suggest that she is making a poor decision medically speaking.
Why can't people who have trouble getting pregnant adopt instead? There are so many homeless children that need loving homes. It makes me wonder why these people go the unnatural route. Is it just an ego thing or selfishness? I do not get it.
If you're so concerned about the plight of the homeless children, go adopt some yourself. Otherwise you don't have any right to call other people's decisions "unnatural."
I truly believe that it is the right of a women who wants to have more children they can do so as long as their health and and finances will allow them to. But using meathods to inhance the ability to become pregnant is a volintary choice with many consiquences. If a women chooses to go this path she should be held responible for the outcome. I would like to know who is paying for the health care and the cost of raising thease children. If she is getting medical and support from the goverment then I am apposed to this. I pay my taxes to help mothers in need due to abuse or lost of her job and even getting her educated so she can stand on her own. This program is meant for emergancy and temporay status only. I hope this does not give certain women any ideas.
I hope they all do well, but it would probably be good if Dr's couldn't implant more than say three emboyos at a time.
Medically speaking, she should be judged. The human body is not meant to carry eight fetuses to term. Even twins or triplets are considered a high risk pregnancy. The responsible thing for this woman to do would have been to, if she'd been on IVF to only have a few at a time implanted. If she was on fertility drugs, she should have selectively terminated some of the babies, the same if they were naturally created. Yes, this time mother and babies are healthy, but the probability of such a thing is very low. What is worrisome about this is that other women may put themselves and their children at risk because this woman was able to manage it. It might sound cold, but morals that put women and babies at risk are incorrect morals.
As for people adopting vs. trying to have children of their own, for some adoption is the right choice, for others, there is a biological need to have children of their own. It's a personal decision and should be respected as such.
we need to start questioning the so-called biological "need" to reproduce. Nobody dies if they don't have children.
And I certainly do judge this couple. People aren't meant to have litters.
When society of forced to pay for the hospitalization required to manage multiple births, society has the right to just say no to fertilization. Even more so to people like this idiot woman who already has 6 children ages 7 and under.
I've heard that she's single!!!!! Who in their right mind would do this? It'd be hard enough within the confines of matrimony. What a sick joke this is at a time when we are in a state of crisis and families are struggling to meet their obligations just to have some sicko like this woman think its ok to ask for financial support so that she can act irresponsibly by bringing on this hardship. What kind of a 'village' does she think this is? All resources go to her???? In today's modern society, we cannot afford this kind of casual attitude by freeloaders when it comes to the expense of raising children.
This is absurd! Who are these people and what are they celebrating? Eight children born to someone without the means to take care of them? Really, what's wrong is wrong and this is so wrong on so many levels beginning with the decision to offer fertility drugs to someone like this in the first place. Let's just create more poverty!
OMG - will the stupidiy ever fricken end!!!
I agree with you whole heartedly. How can someone who already has 6 children and is unmarried be allowed to have artificial insemination at the government’s expense. The mother asked that her information not be given out to the public. What’s the reason for that? Is she embarrassed? She should be. How does she plan on taking care of all these children….thru public assistance?.... I say if the tax payers are paying the bill she should loose her anonymity and be willing to face public scrutiny.
I agree! It is criminally neglegent to use artificial means to have a litter of eight children, expect society to bear the cost, and add to overpopulation.
And what about those poor babies? Odds are they will never be healthy.
This is antisocial behavior and child abuse.
Why do you think the kids are not likely to be healthy? They've passed many hurdles already; I would think chances are good that most, if not all, will continue to do well.
While i agree that bearing eight children at once is a medically foolhardy choice, we shouldn't be so overly vitriolic as to keep referring to the kids as a "litter." It's just mean-spirited, IMO. (I think criticism it perfectly warranted, but i just thought the litters thing was a bit harsh :/ )
I hope these children continue to thrive, anyway.
Her actions are irresponsible at best. The doctor that made this possible should have his license revoked. This is one selfish self-centered woman.
To bring 8 children into the world when she already has so many is absolutely insane. Even if she was well off and could afford to raise such a large family, having 8 all at once is unhealthy for her and for the babies. I agree that the term "litter" is appropriate here because that is what it is. I believe she had 8 just to make a sensation to try to cash in on it.
I'm all about giving people in need a "hand-up" but I'm against giving never ending "hand outs". What happened to personal responsibility?
The late Dr. Adrian Rogers (1931 to 2005) Memphis, TN, offered the following observation several years ago and it bears great Significance today:
"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the rich out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything
the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what
they work for, that my dear friend is about the end of any nation." "You cannot multiply the wealth by dividing it."
Her actions are irresponsible at best. The doctor that made this possible should have his license revoked. This is one selfish self-centered woman.
On what basis should the doctor's license be revoked? Because you don't agree with what the doctor did? Rubbish. We need to have a societal discussion on the values involved, but jumping to discipline only the doctor is not the way to do it.
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The late Dr. Adrian Rogers (1931 to 2005) Memphis, TN, offered the following observation several years ago and it bears great Significance today:
"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the rich out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving....You cannot multiply the wealth by dividing it."
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I find it ironic that Adrian Rogers, a minister who was supposedly interested in solving social problems, was fighting for the rights of the rich to continue to screw over the poor. He had no background in economics, either, so his opinions in that area aren't worth that much.
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Then again, since he also said, "I feel slavery is a much maligned institution. If we had slavery today we would not have such a welfare problem", his opinions in other areas aren't worth much, either.
ugh. what a disgustingly entitled opinion - yeah, the poor are all lounging about enjoying all the grand free time poverty bestows upon them. yep, they're laughing all the way to the poor, poor rich man's bank - taking the white-collar workhorse's hard, hard, hard earned money.
my god, do you heartless conservatives truly have zero idea that life in general, and poverty itself, IS NOT BLACK & WHITE? yeah, people are poor because they've been given some idea it's easy street to do nothing & have EVERYTHING just handed to them. how freaking condescending!
oh, and i specifically love how this late, great, golden-hearted dr. divides the population into 50% poor taking, 50% hard working giving. you, anonymous, clearly have bought the lie that "big government" wants to take from the middle class to help those with even less. they fill you with the fear of your hard earned tax money helping the lazy slobs, while the top 5% hold onto the true wealth, and then get a bailout when they f**k it up. where's your outrage about all the hard earned money that's gone to the fatcats who've only turned around & spent it on luxury jets, getaways, and bonuses? huh?
I didn't express outrage at the fatcats because it wasn't the topic. The topic was a woman that already had 6 kids & made a conscience choice to have 8 more. The poverty issue is not BLACK and WHITE but this issue is. There is no justifiable reason for her to have done this other than for very selfish reasons.
I am not a "heartless conservative" as you put it. I didn't vote for Bush... didn't and don't support the war...
This is not about being either a "Bleeding Heart Liberal" or a "Heartless Conservative".
I'm not commenting on the problems faced by an overpopulated world and the fact that we are all basically "screwed", economically, environmentally and any other way you want to slice it.
By the way, I come from a poor background (for the USA) and worked hard to get where I'm at.
One more time... What this woman did was irresponsible and selfish.
Watch
the interview and listen.
href="http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2009/02/05/eight-is-not-enough-the-big-families-we-love-hate">Read
the article
Her own mother suspects mental illness. Her mother and father declared
bankruptcy and moved into her house to help her care for her 6 kids.
In the interview she talks about loving her children.... with 14
children that love is going to be spread extremely thin... Their care
is going to be more than one person can handle for an extended period.
If her father goes back to Iraq to raise money then the care
will be left to the woman and her mother.
She clearly needs a mental health evaluation.
OK first of all what gives this woman the right to be having eight children and also to be collecting financial assistance or "welfare" She has no business having that many children when she can't even take care of the six she already has at home oh and by the way she has no home she is living in her parent's home now if she had her act together perhaps married and or a good job and a home of her own for her children to live then this would be a totally different story but when someone can't evn support the children that they already have, let alone themself then that is where the issue stands in my opinion and knowing that she went and payed good money to have embryos implanted in her...HA-HA Are you kidding me!? She needs those kid's taken away asap because they are not living in suitable conditions and if she can't provide for them then who is???? She doesn't work and does not have her own home so it be nice to hear how she is going to provide for 14 children that she chose to bring into this world and I feel she should bare the responsibility.
I can not believe people who refers to children as litter. I agree that this woman has social responsibility. Does any one really knows why she chose to do this? What are the doctors take on this ? Good point we should worry about the CEO's bonuses more than worrying about helping poor people.
i am so upset because this woman is using the media for fame at the same time i am working to support both my children and hers....no one is realizing this.....how about the fact that to go throught fertilization cost money and remember she was on some sort of dissability income...she should not be rewarded for this.....how dare...she lied and says that she doesnt want any help...what about the new house she will be purchasing soon....i cant even afford to get my children into a home since i live paycheck to paycheck....i cant even get public assistant to help me with my overdue bills...so yes i am very disgusted how a little publicity can boost rating....while others like myself faces the everyday living of struggling to make end meets pawning my car title and pawning almost everything i own but the kitchen sink....all i ask the agencies that provide services....why is so impossible to force the father of my children who is working to pay childsupport....yet this woman is in public view and everything is going toward her like if she is so hepless...while others like myself is so stress out.
