Octuplet obsession: Who, what, where, when and...WHY?!
As we continue to read news stories about the mother who gave birth to octuplets last week, many of us have even more questions that begin with "who," "what," "where," "when" and "why" and "how."
All of the questions are tinged with opinion and they usually go like this:
Who is going to help take care of these babies? (And how are the other children doing?) Also, who foot the bill for her in vitro fertilization (IVF)?
What kind of doctor would implant a single mom -- with six kids under the age of seven -- with multiple embryos? (And who are we to even think anyone has the right to tell a woman how many babies she can have?)
Where were the early signs that the mom had some sort of obsession with having babies? (And shouldn't someone, oh, a doctor maybe, have noticed?)
Why would a single woman with six very young children, all living in Grandma's three-bedroom home (Grandma filed for bankruptcy last year), want more kids? (Again, who are we to judge?)Also, why doesn't the fertility specialist who handled her IVF make himself known?
How will the mom afford to take care of her family? (There are reports that her own dad is returning to work in Iraq to help provide for his daughter's new family. Sure, it takes a village, but that just makes me sad.)
The mom is 33-year-old Nadya Suleman and details continue to emerge about her background. She is now a client of the PR firm Killeen Furtney Group so they can handle -- and profit -- from her new-found celebrity. As you can imagine, she's received a plethora of interview requests and offers of book deals, all with cash attached. A mom with 14 kids probably needs the money. How will she find the time to handle all the activity, especially if she's still planning to breastfeed all of her newborns?
We know she is an "amazing patient." We know she wanted more kids. But she won't allow the sharing of any details regarding her IVF. (And why should we care?)
The ethical questions surrounding the birth of these babies will continue to run deep and hopefully cause the medical community to re-evaluate how they monitor fertility clinics and specialists. Endocrinologist Suleena Kansal Kalra of the University of Pennsylvania told AFP, "It's a complete failure when something like this happens, a poor reflection of what we do." I find this statement very telling.
I feel that many, many more details are yet to come and sadly, I believe we'll be even more perplexed by it all.
So Shine readers, what are your thoughts about this "Octuplet Obsession"?
(Also, you should check out this cute cartoon from Shine user Devonia.)
