The insanity of 6, the criminality of 14

Since learning of only the second, successful birth of Octuplets in our country's history, my initial surprise and wonderment has given way to sheer anger at a woman who is clearly not fit or equipped to be a mother, a doctor who possesses no ethics and a fertility industry that needs something more than the guidelines which were flagrantly ignored.

There is so much to be angry about with this situation, it's hard to know precisely where to begin. At some point in her twenties, Nadya Suleman arranged with a male to donate sperm so she could one day become a mother. It appears that two previous ectopic pregnancies led to this decision and I can understand the desire to choose a different course in order to fulfill Nadya's desire to give birth and become a mother.

Unfortunately, that's where and when any rational thought was tossed out the window. After applying for disability as a result of a riot at her workplace, which supposedly left Nadya with severe backpain and unable to work, she took the opportunity, not to seek physical therapy, but to impregnate herself via sperm donor gift. With an ample donor supply still available, she chose implantation 4 more times, with one of the ensuing pregnancies resulting in twins, for a total of 6 offspring.

Disability health coverage does not pay for IVF treatments, which run at least $10K a pop, so it's a fair assumption that these treatments were paid for by the $168K disability payout the unemployed Nadya received over a 6 year period when all of these children were born. Makes you wonder how many other woman are out there using Disability settlements to undergo IVF. Prior to Nadya, I would have guessed none because of the exhorbitant expense, but who knows!

Sometime 7 months ago, Nadya returned to the fertility doctor and had all remaining donor sperm implanted, resulting in the newborn Octuplets. It's an absolute miracle that the 8 babies survived delivery and are still alive and it's certainly my hope and prayer that these 8 innocent babies are normal and healthy, though the odds weigh heavily against them.

My compassion however, begins and ends with these children, who didn't ask to be brought into this world by an unstable, disabled, unmarried woman who is relying completely on the government for the birth and medical care of 14 chldren, and who has no means to support, house or raise them without divine financial intervention.

And what of the fertility specialist who flicked a finger at the guidelines and implanted not one or two, but 6 embryoes in a single woman who already had 6 kids? What happened to "do no harm"? Not only should this doctor's license be revoked but he/she should be required to pay restitution to Medi-cal which will get hit with the over $1 million bill to deliver and care for the octuplets at Kaiser Permanante.

The last time I looked, we don't have an inherent "right" to bear children, and I think it's about time we focus alot more on the many responsibilities involved in making that choice. This isn't about having a perfect familial situation because many children don't. This is about the sanity of a mother of 6 requesting to double her brood, with no spousal support or monetary means, and the irresponsible, unethical and, yes, criminal actions of a Doctor, who knows all of this, and still implants a mother of 6 with double the count.