Morally Reprehensible: Single, 33 Year Old Unemployed Woman Gives Birth to Octuplets

A young woman identified as Ms. Suleman recently gave birth to eight infants, conceived with sperm donated by a friend and using the in vitro fertilization technique. This technique is generally used, and recommended, for women who have had difficulty conceiving a child; when successful, multiple births often occur. Because the health risks for 'multiples' are great - MS, brain damage, respiratory problems - doctors often recommend selective reduction, i.e., aborting one or more fetuses in order to give the remaining fetuses a better chance for survival and a healty life.

Ms. Suleman recently went public as to why she had two in vitro procedures, one of which produced the eight infants and one which produced another set of multiples. Her reasoning was that she was raised as an only child, and was incredibly "lonely" as a youngster. According to published statements by her mother, who may or may not be estranged from her daughter, Ms. Suleman had wanted to have a very large family since she was a young teen, and apparently directed some of the blame for her own unhappiness on her mother for not having had more than one child. Ms. Suleman lives with her parents in a modest home; she is unmarried, has no immediate prospects of becoming married, has no job or any visible means of support with which to raise her fourteen children.

During the course of her interview with anchorwoman Ann Curry, Ms. Suleman appeared slightly glassy eyed and extremely calm and passive. She appears quite proud of the accomplishment of having birthed so many babies, since this is apparently the only thing of any merit that she has accomplished in her life to date.

I find this situation both frightening and reprehensible. I am also strongly advocating that these children - all of them - be permanently removed from her care until a complete psychiatric workup on Ms. Suleman has been completed.

Actually, since Ms. Suleman is unemployed, has no visible means of support, is unmarried, and has - at least, to date - not received an outpouring of support from corporate sponsors, these children NEED to be taken away from her. They are, in truth, OUR children. We, the American taxpayers, will end up paying for her hospital bill. We will pay for her welfare checks. We will pay for her childrens' low, discounted or free medical care. We will also be paying for her psychiatric care, which is sorely needed.

Her mother appears to be both visibly and emotionally stung by her daughter's behavior. In particular, Ms. Suleman claims that because her parents did not have other children, that she was an only child, and was incredibly lonely, as she claims, the fault really rests with the octuplets' grandmother - who has stated publicly that she intends to move out of their joint residence once mother and babies return. Fourteen children in one small house. It is difficult to conceive of what life will be like for the babies, and even more so for the older children, who will most likely get 'lost in the shuffle' as attention focuses on the newborns.

What was Nadya Suleman's motive? By giving birth to fourteen children while divorced and unemployed, what kind of life did she intend for them? Who will get enough - or any - 'quality' time with their mother? Nature and the God that any of us believes in did not mean for a woman to give birth to fourteen children, especially with the oldest being so young, and eight newborns. There is much truth to the term 'unnatural' in this situation. It goes against the laws of nature, common sense and certainly any stretch of good parenting.

I strongly urge the state of California's Child Welfare Department to investigate this situation immediately for the sake of the children first, and then the mother. Both are in desperate need of care.