Eight is Enough? Try FOURTEEN.

No, I'm not talking about the eight years Departing President DipSchnit spent in office. I'm talking about the California woman who just made history as the second woman on record to deliver octuplets who all survived more than a few hours. That's eight babies worth of swollen ankles and morning sickness.

When this story first hit the news and the proud doctors boasted about their delivery room prowess, I thought we were on our way to a feel-good story on the miracle of birth. But then the details started to leak, and we discovered that this 33-year old single mother already had 6 children at home. All under age 8. AGE 8. Those 6 children were the result of using a sperm donor. AND ALL EIGHT NEWBORNS CAME AFTER 8 EMBRYOS WERE IMPLANTED DURING FERTILITY TREATMENT. From the same sperm donor.

I'm flabbergasted. Seriously. A young single mother, living in a 3 bedroom home with her parents, now has 14 children all under age 8. On purpose nonetheless.

As Americans, we simply adore the miracle of birth. We oooh. We aaaaah. And we make disgustingly silly noises when in the presence of those tiny miracles. But an elderly neighbor of Ms. Octuplet went on camera with a myth-busting opinion of this birth. After giving a blank stare peppered with disgust, she asked the million-dollar question. What? And I'm supposed to be excited? She went on to note how the home is already flooded with young children, and questioned the mother's decision to have more, without a husband, and in an economy like this.

I have my own personal objections about this Miracle Hot Mess Birth, and I honestly felt guilty for throwing such judgment onto a perfect stranger. So allow me to let other parties criticize for me.

:: Economists estimate that it will cost $2.5M to raise the children.

:: News reports indicate that the father will travel to Iraq to work on contracts to help pay for the cost of raising the children. Edited to add: It's the woman's father who will go to work to support his grandchildren.

:: Interviews with medical specialists indicate that implanting eight embryos is borderline malpractice for a fertility specialist, and the norm is one to three.

:: Some of those medical interviews hinted towards the possibility of mental illness that should have been investigated by other treating physicians before allowing this woman to become the single mother of fourteen children. (Isn't that really a nice way to say "Dat Chick Cray-zee?")

From a logistical perspective, childcare costs alone could hinder employment and I suspect this woman will qualify for welfare services. Thankfully, our warped craving for bizarre news has resulted in her getting calls to buy her story, and some of those offers are in the millions.

So tell me, where has your mind wandered while watching this news story unfold? Hit me in the comments.

Comments

[Deacon Blue]

I've been very critical of all these sorts of things.

Even John and Kate of "John and Kate + Eight" annoy me, though they get some slight slack. They had twins, and then got six more thanks to fertility treatments. A big family by modern standards but not totally outrageous. My beef there is why did you need fertility treatments when you already had twins? Was it so serious you couldn't just keep trying the normal way?

Then there are the Duggars. With their now 20 kids. They annoy me because they espouse the "quiverful movement" that maintains you should have as many kids as God will give you and NOT try to avoid pregnancy, not even with condoms. This is irresponsible as most families cannot give proper love and support in these modern times to a gigantic brood of children. And the thing is, the only reason the Duggars can afford it is because they sell shit on their web site, they've had MULTIPLE reality TV shows, and they get book deals and such. So, it's hollywood welfare instead of public money, but still, it give a certain subset of people the idea that it can be done, when in fact most folks with huge families will suffer or end up on the dole.

And you've already pointed out what's wrong with this latest case, and clearly, mental health issues are at play here...and that doesn't bode well for these kids getting a truly healthy and happy upbringing.

It's all madness. These huge families these days are irreponsibility at its finest.

[Hawa]

@Deacon Blue: I got my tubes tied during the birth of my second son (at age 28) because I knew that I was not emotionally or financially prepared to care for three children. Sometimes I feel like I'm barely holding on with two. LOL

I am participating in the "debate" over at Frugal Zeitgeist, and somebody raised the point of population growth and impact to the planet (including the public dole, and you mentioned).

I would LOVE to know what was, and what is, running through that mom's mind.

[Blu Jewel]

I'm mad right along with you. It's hard as hell out there for a single parent who IS employed, so for this triflin ass heffa to decide to take fertility drugs to get pregnant knowing that she's likely to have a multiple birth pregnancy is downright unconsciousnable (sp?)

I, too, had my tubes tied and I only have ONE child. I knew I would not want to 1) have children with different fathers, 2) might not be financially/emotionally/mentally able to care for additional children, and 3) didn't feel like I had anything to prove by having more children.

This kind of behaviour is why some teens think being pregnant is "no big deal" and that they can handle it, which we know is complete bullshyte!

I'm disgusted that a medical practitioner would even consider allowing a woman to go through fertility treatments to get pregnant when she's single and unemployed? This is the kind of shyte that wreaks of desperation and the perverse desire for attention. Maybe she saw Jon & Kate +8 and thought; "hey, I can get my own tv show and gain notoriety and such". What else could possibly be going through your mind? *smh*

I'm also disgusted at the Dugger family and their rabbit way of having children. There is NO need to have THAT many children. Lil Lady wonders how Mrs. Dugger even has any elasticity left on her innards. Hell, I wonder too!

All in all, I think it's sad that women who WANT to have children and CAN take care of them have such a hard time conceiving/adopting/or being in a position to afford fertility treatment aren't able to, but mindless women like this one can and did.

And referring to Deacon Blue's comment about Jon & Kate having fertility treatments to have "just one more", I agree. I think it might have been possible to conceive without the use of them, but I'm not a medical doctor, so I'll reserve a level of ignorance here. What I do respect about them though is that they're very humble and don't their new found attention for granted. They teach their children good moral and sound conduct and enforce some very good parenting techniques.

Well, I think I've voiced my opinion and disgust enough to end here.

Love to live; live to love!

[chele]

I don't have a problem with Jon and Kate because I think they used fertility treatments to have the twins and when they tried again for just one more they ended up with six more.

The Duggars ... just get on my nerves. They give me a toothache.

With this new case, however, I have to ask why a doctor would agree to implant 8 embryos into a women with six young children at home, no husband and living with her parents? It does not sound as though anybody has the best interest of these children in mind. The doctor wants to be patted on the back for his successful delivery, the mother wants national attention and all the while the children suffer.

[GC]

I don't have a problem with Jon and Kate either.
I don't have a problem with quiver full people who are ready willing and able to give their children the love and support they need.

a BIG however with this woman, though. Where does she get off? Where do her parents get off? I can't even be too mad at her either because her father (and mother) sounds like a freakazoid. Talking about how the media is going to have trouble finding the babies after they leave the hospital and crap like that. Where did the embryos come from? Ever ask yourself that? I think they're his.

[Hawa]

@All: Selfishness. Just pure selfishness. I have a neighbor (with two daughters) who lives on public assistance. Apparently she suffers from a mental disability that makes her legally disabled. And apparently, it runs in the family.

Now I like the family. I am very kind to them. But they were recently cited for having too many cats that were destroying the townhome.

What did they do? They got rid of the cats and got a DOG. A DOG. Bigger. Costlier. And I don't see them as able to care for it.

That is how I see Ms. Octuplet. She simply wanted more kids, and didn't seem to care how life would be for them. Hmmmm. I wish she had just gotten a dang dog.

[ali]

I'm with you on this here. That's one big hot mess.

[Kit (Keep It Trill)]

Someone lied about the embryo egg planting thing. Docs customarily implant four or more because the majority don't take root in women with fertility problems.

The more I learn about her fam being Iraqi, the more I wonder if this is a form of coping with the trauma of war... it truly must fuck up your head to know that in your small country, over 1,000,000 of your brothers and sisters were slaughtered in an invasion. Could this be part of an unconscious fear of genocide and to do her bit to keep it from happening?

Yeah, I know about the baby obsession part, but that's just another thought. It's a well-kept secret over here, but I've read that a lot of Jews in Israel have large families in reaction to the Holocaust. And recall last year when stat projections showed that by the year 2025 in the US, the majority of kids in school will be non-whites, and how this panicked a lot of them.

Humanity is one race but full of tribes, and no one wants to see theirs go extinct. Whether or not this was a factor in her decision is unknown...

[Dirty Red]

The only thing I got to say is I am so glad she ain't Black.

I hope this did not post twice. I was not sure about the first time. LOL

[Believer 1964]

Listen up; it's one thing to yearn to have a child or two. However, to think that fourteen children will fill that void because you were an only child. Um, someone needs to find the underlying cause of this.