Controversy surrounding recent octuplet birth in California

Although...

I will say that as new articles comes out - she seems more and more whacko.

But taking a person's kids away is a very serious thing. My base argument is - you better be sure. It's a very scary precedent.

I think maybe more than anything, there was some failure in the medical community to screen this person from going to this extend - or else, there needs to be some distinction made between what is medically ethical and what is not.

And while I still say it's too early to call her negligent - some checking up on them now and then wouldn't be such a bad thing - if that's even legal. And if it's not, no matter how whacko she seems...what can you do?

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28984255/

Well for her kids sake, I hope she gets some money to support them. Last thing I want to see them neglected.

 

That's the reason she is having the litter, to make a buck. (oh and she is insane)

 

Who's saying anything about raiding Amish or Suleyman or anyone else to take their kids away?

I've said I suspect that they will end up as wards of the state but I'm not advocating it. There is a difference between speculation and advocation.

I would like to hear the details of how this was financed. Considering how expensive this type of treatment is I would also say that if she or her family paid for this treatment when she already is raising 6 other kids that it wasn't a good thing. She has kids who are already there who still need to be fed, clothed, housed and schooled taking money that could go to ensure those kids have a good life to spend on IVF to try to get one more girl is irresponsible.

Who is saying take away her kids? There is always a possiblity that things may work out very well for her and her kids but given what we know about her and her financial situation right now it doesn't seem likely.

You don't think it is hard to be a single mom?

 

To me that seems even more irresponsible. If all she wanted was one more girl she could've adopted since there are many children who need a home. Instead she undertook a very risky and expensive procedure.

 

I really hope that isn't true.

 

Where, where?

Can't let a good post go unnoticed. There is no controversy, Pun.

 

How can anybody defend this madness

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article5627531.ece

 

Oh, they should make a big deal about this. Make it an abortion thing and she can make some money from pro-lifers.

 

I really hope she doesn't make a cent out of this...it is clear the only reason she had these babies is to get famous and make a "childcare expert" career out of it. How can she be a "childcare expert" if she can't even handle raising her 6 other children? It seems her mom is doing most of the work...

But it looks like shes gonna end up profitting from this...I should just stick a dozen embryos in my gf and retire rich off the publicity...

 

Big surprise.

Typically 1 -2 embryos are implanted, not 8. Concerning her educational background and the incredible responsibilities of having new children, I can't believe she's 'surprised they all took.' I'm sure she's also 'surprised' at all the media attention and the ability to cash in on it.

Even her mother has had inclinations that her daughter needs help. This is not a typical 'big family' story.

 

This would make a classic reality show ... or so the mother thought.

 

I hope you're being facetious. Look at what she's studying. Her degree is as useful as that bachelors in art history. This future gas pumper has section 8 written all over.

 

I think its terrible if she actually did this to make money but for the sake of her kids they are going to need a lot of money.

 

I agree with this sentiment. She sounds crazy, she may need some kind of psychological evaluation. Maybe the grand parents can get custody and people wouldn't feel bad about donating money and supplies to them.

 

The mother of the octuplets isn't getting a lot of sympathy or donations.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29002731/?gt1=43001

Octuplets mom getting outrage rather than gifts
News that woman has 6 other kids, used in vitro, may be turning people off

LOS ANGELES - Where is the unlimited supply of diapers, formula and baby wipes? The free van? The brand-new house?

Women who give birth to six, seven or eight babies are often showered with dazzling gifts from big corporations, local businesses and strangers. But that is not happening with the Southern California mother who delivered octuplets last week.

The news that she is a single mother with six other children — and that all 14 were conceived by having embryos implanted — seems to have turned off many people, and companies are not exactly rushing to get publicity by piling on the freebies.

Nadya Suleman, 33, has been lambasted by talk-show hosts, fertility experts, even her own mother, who has her hands full taking care of Suleman’s other children, ages 2 to 7.

‘I think it’s a calamity’
A veteran Hollywood publicist said Suleman’s handlers have their work cut out for them in trying to win public sympathy for her.

“I think it’s a calamity,” said publicist David Brokaw, who has handled crises for celebrities. “I don’t see, the way this is shaped, how you can say much about it in terms of something favorable.”

Makers of diapers, formula and other products would probably want to steer clear of her, Brokaw said. He suggested she lie low for now and concentrate on crafting an image as a responsible parent.

Gerber spokesman David Mortazavi said that if the baby-food maker was planning to do something for the family, it probably would have done it already, and that the octuplets’ birth was not on Gerber’s radar. He would not elaborate.

Procter & Gamble spokeswoman Tricia Higgins said that the maker of Pampers does not actively seek out parents to sponsor, but that the octuplets’ mother can ask for what is typically provided in multiple births: a jumbo pack of diapers for each child, baby wipes, and coupons for discounts. That is unlikely to last Suleman a week.

Conservative radio talk show host Bill Handel in Los Angeles, who has branded the births “freakish,” said on the air Tuesday that people are ready to boycott any corporations that help the octuplets or their mother.

Some offer support
Suleman’s spokesman Mike Furtney said that he has received some “fairly negative” comments from the public but that offers to help with the babies have come in from nurses, and some baby stores have stepped forward to volunteer their support.

“I don’t remember the brand name, but one major disposable diaper company sent some diapers,” he said. Furtney said he was confident that once Suleman tells her story, many of her critics will “readjust their thinking a little.”

Furtney said Suleman has had offers for TV and other media deals, but he added it was too early to discuss how much money she might receive.

For a single mother, the cost of raising 14 children through age 17 ranges from $1.3 million to $2.7 million through age 17, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Suleman octuplets’ medical costs have not been disclosed, but the average cost for just one cesarean birth in 2006 was $22,762 in California. The Suleman babies were born nine weeks premature. In California, a single premature birth in 2006 led to an average hospital stay of 25 days and cost $164,273. That would amount to a $1.3 million bill for eight.

Suleman’s income is unclear. She was employed by a mental hospital from 1997 through 2008.

‘We heard a lot of outrage’
Nasty callers dominated the phone lines in the first few days after the octuplets were born at Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Medical Center.

“We heard a lot of outrage because there was a vacuum of information and people were going on rumor and conjecture,” said hospital spokeswoman Socorro Serrano.

But calls of encouragement, particularly from mothers of multiples, have also poured in, along with offers of hand-me-downs and tips, Serrano said.

In 1998, Nkem Chukwu of Houston became the first mother to give birth to octuplets in the U.S. The family lives in a donated, six-bedroom suburban home, and the stay-at-home mom had a small army of volunteers help feed and care for the seven surviving babies for the first few years.

The parents of the McCaughey septuplets — seven babies born in Iowa in 1997 — received a donated 16-room house, a 15-passenger van, baby food from Gerber, and a lifetime supply of Pampers from Procter & Gamble.

The stars of The Learning Channel’s reality show “Jon and Kate Plus 8,” about a couple with sextuplets and twins, are paid, and have received a slew of freebies through the show, including trips to Hawaii and New York, a tummy tuck for mom and hair plugs for dad.

TLC President Eileen O’Neill said production companies that work with TLC have already made offers to Suleman’s family, but the network is waiting to see how TV-friendly the family is.

“We’re certainly like the rest of America; we’re waiting to see how this develops,” O’Neill said. “The number of children or scale of the multiples is intriguing, but it also comes down to what are the family’s lives like?”

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29038814/

She interviewed with Today. This woman has an ENORMOUS task ahead of her. I don't know how she will be able to care for 14 young kids.

 

How the hell is she going to go back to college in the fall and take care of her 14 children?

The more I read about this woman, the more infuriated I become.

 

Looks like she's expecting her mom to take care of them.

 

Well, I'm convinced. She's a lunatic. How does one parent give 14 children the time and attention they deserve? How does a masters degree in counseling pay for 14 children?

I feel bad for those kids. I hope for the best for them, but it's going to be a tough childhood.