Jan 30 2009
Mom of Eight Sparks Debate
Watching the news last night the update on the California mother who just had 8 babies also has — wait for it — 6 other children. Yes, math wizards, that’s 14 kids. She’s almost hitting the Duggar 18. Slight difference between this new mom and the Duggar mother … she’s a single mother living with her parents.
I’m never one to tell anyone how many kids they think they should have, but this case does raise several questions. ABC News talked this morning about the ethics of a fertility doctor who would implant 8 embryos.
Medical Contributor Tim Johnson of ABC News says:
[Experts] would be astounded if a fertility specialist actually implanted eight eggs,” ABC News medical contributor Dr. Tim Johnson said. “Current guidelines, which are guidelines, not law, would suggest between one and four. … A vast majority of experts would say that [implanting eight] is bad practice.”
The ABC News story says that, according to the grandmother, her daughter had in vitro and decided later that she couldn’t opt for natural selection.
The octuplets’ grandmother Angela Suleman told The Los Angeles Times that her daughter had a fertility treatment last year in which the eight embryos were implanted … “
This story is surely bound to raise more questions from a variety of people. The family was shown on TV asking for privacy.
Related:
**UPDATE (2-6-09)**
Mom of 14 speaks out:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Update: 2/27/09

A representative for Parents.com emailed me about a Toy and Recall finder that I think is pretty interesting for parents to learn about. The Web site put together a database and slide show detailing all the recent toy recalls — with pictures.











