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New Facts About Mother Of Octuplets Raise Ethical Questions

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DutchessOfDork
02/01/09

In reply to New Facts About Mother Of Octuplets Raise Ethical Questions
I really do not like telling women how many crotchlings they can spring from their loins, but this is incredibly irresponsible. The Duggars are a tad more tolerable and friendly because they seem to have a loving relationship (while I think they are misguided) they take care of they bizness. This woman is having 14 children on her own?!

When someone is obsessed with alcohol, no one gives them more alcohol. Why is a baby obsession different? Cuz she is a womunz exhibitng womunz behaviour.
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Tart of Darkness
01/31/09

In reply to New Facts About Mother Of Octuplets Raise Ethical Questions
People say that doctors can't say "no, I'm not going to implant you with 8 embryos" because that would be unethical, but doctors also have an ethical responsibility to not treat patients when it is not in their best interest to do so. For example, ethical plastic surgeons turn people down ever day.

Years ago before Lasix, I wanted radial keratotomy and my doctor who was also a friend told me he wouldn't do it on me because it wasn't going to give me optimum results and if he did it I would never be able to wear contacts again to correct the slight nearsightedness I would still have. He pointed out that if I shopped around I could find someone who would do it, but I'd probably regret it later.
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applejuice
01/31/09

In reply to New Facts About Mother Of Octuplets Raise Ethical Questions
Also, maybe implanting lots of embryos isn't as rare as people are saying. I've read lots of stories about people getting five or six eggs implanted lately! Here is a link with someone blogging about getting five implanted just last week!: [www.momloc.com]

There are no laws about this in the US. Maybe that is why the UK made some.
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applejuice
01/31/09

@applejuice: That link copied wrong for some reason. Here it is again: [www.momlogic.com]
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applejuice
01/31/09

@applejuice: Also should just say that lady has already decided to do a selective reduction if more than two take.

BUT her dr said they should implant 4 and all she had to do was ask and they went to 5.

So much for 2 or 3 at most...
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funnyface
01/31/09

@applejuice: While we don't have actual laws about it in the US, there are guidelines established within the medical community. Standard Operating procedure is not to transfer more than 2 embryos into women under 35.
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applejuice
01/31/09

@funnyface: I know, everyone keeps saying that "2 before 35, 3 at most after".

But that story I linked has a lady who had 5 implanted last week. I bet there are lots of docs out there doing more than 2 or 3. Not good.
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applejuice
01/31/09

In reply to New Facts About Mother Of Octuplets Raise Ethical Questions
They are reporting that at least one of her original six kids is special needs.

I've just read an article from their local paper and there are statements from someone who provided respite care for her "special needs" child.

Okay, the more I read I really have to wonder about this woman. So many questions racing through my head...
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Cerridwen
01/30/09

In reply to New Facts About Mother Of Octuplets Raise Ethical Questions
Look, I will never advocate that we should legally police the bodies of citizens. But I generally think that your right to swing your fist ends with the other guy's nose. I think the major difference here between a woman's right to choose termination and this scenario is that this woman willingly undertook a procedure in such an extreme way as to very likely if not inevitably endanger other lives (that is, the lives and well-being of the babies that have a high likelihood of birth defects, even if they do survive the first few weeks). I believe that personhood begins at viability and thus I think this woman knowingly endangered the well-being of viable individuals and for that reason, I think her choice (as well as the doctor's compliance with that choice) to be flagrantly irresponsible and ethically suspect. Ultimately, however, I'm not sure this is something we need to be worried about on a mass scale. Many, many women need to have access to safe and legal abortions because they actually need them. Given that most women know what is necessary and/or right for their lives and well-being, I don't see a massive movement of women seeking extreme fertility treatments such as this. This story grabs media attention because it is so rare.
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Chocolate Sex Bunny
01/30/09

In reply to New Facts About Mother Of Octuplets Raise Ethical Questions
Am I horrible for saying to myself after reading this:

"Please let this woman be white so we can erase the notion that only minority women irresponsibly have shitloads of kids out of wedlock."
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applejuice
01/30/09

In reply to New Facts About Mother Of Octuplets Raise Ethical Questions
Apparently a lot of people think she went to Mexico for the IVF.

I am told a lot of people are now travelling down there from the US, UK and Canada for the low cost treatment. Apparently they ask fewer questions than in the US and will also implant more embyros.
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Ascendo_tuum
01/30/09

In reply to New Facts About Mother Of Octuplets Raise Ethical Questions
The grandfather was just on the news, and apparently these people have boatloads of money (or at least that's what he implied).
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Ascendo_tuum
01/30/09

@Ascendo_tuum: They can also apparently can afford a nanny, as she was just on the news as well, speaking through a translator.
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andrea312
01/30/09

In reply to New Facts About Mother Of Octuplets Raise Ethical Questions
i feel like she was probably influenced by all the shows on tlc right now that glorify ridiculously large families. so great, now instead of anorexia/bulimia we may have a flux of women giving birth to litters. new trend!
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Topsyjane
01/31/09

@andrea312: I've been wishing for years that the media would stop 'celebrating' multiple births. There's just something especially grotesque about it - reducing a woman's worth to her reproductive organs' ability to work. You had one baby? Big deal! This lady had twenty-seven! The parents are reported as being ecstatic but very tired (insert breastfeeding joke from sports desk guy here)! Ha ha ha! Now to Norm with the weather! Bet that good weather helped those storks deliver all those kids!"

I also grew up with a dad who said that decent people do not appear in the newspaper, with the exception of death notices, so yes, I automatically assume there's some ulterior motive to people advertising themselves.
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Pizza!Pizza!Pizza!
01/30/09

In reply to New Facts About Mother Of Octuplets Raise Ethical Questions
guess the real question is- How much did TLC promise to pay her to do all of this? Those Duggars aren't going to stay cute forver!
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Maulleigh
01/30/09

In reply to New Facts About Mother Of Octuplets Raise Ethical Questions
That woman is as nuts as Angelina Jolie. After four or five kids, you should really just become a pre-school teacher.
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resonanteye
01/30/09

In reply to New Facts About Mother Of Octuplets Raise Ethical Questions
WOW! She must be a millionaire!!!
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resonanteye
01/30/09

@resonanteye: but honestly, it's none of my business. who cares, really? I'd rather my taxes paid for this ladie's babies, than for more cops and bombs, anyway.
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marshmallory
01/30/09

In reply to New Facts About Mother Of Octuplets Raise Ethical Questions
I thought from the beginning that it was odd she didn't want her identity known. At first I chalked it up to privacy for her and the babies, but now I think maybe she was in some sort of black-market adoption business and was going to sell the babies, but can't now that the news outlets got hold of the story. And that, my friends, is how you know you've watched one too many episodes of Law & Order.
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That_little_attention_whore
01/31/09

@marshmallory *is a weapon of mass consumption*: OMG I was thinking about that too. Glad I am not the only one! We should contact Dick Wolf and be writers for the show!
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ILiketheWord'Pugilist'
01/30/09

In reply to New Facts About Mother Of Octuplets Raise Ethical Questions
Woah, just like I don't want anyone telling me if that I must have a baby because the condom broke, no-one has the right to judge this woman for her decisions. No-one.

It's legal she did it, end of story.

Now, if it were me, well, it wouldn't be me because if I weren't fertile I would be ok with that.
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ellietown
01/30/09

@captainolimar: yeah not sure why everyone is so quick to judge her rather than the physician.

Just as someone has the right to overdose on pills, she has the right to try and have how ever many kids she wants, regardless of her socioeconomic or personal situation.

HOWEVER, just as a physician who prescribed 4 times the recommended dose of barbiturates to the person who ODs, the physician who transfers 4 times the medically responsible number of embryos deserves to be ridiculed, pilloried and have his/her license revoked.
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Mafalda para Presidente
01/30/09

@ellietown: OH COME ON, what happened to personal responsibility. Sure, the doctor could have sent her away, but either way this woman was going to find a way to have babies.
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applejuice
01/30/09

In reply to New Facts About Mother Of Octuplets Raise Ethical Questions
Does anybody else remember that Oprah about the single mom who had like 5 or 6 babies on her own?

Oprah went to her apartment for a couple hours and helped er with the babies and that looked like some miserable shiz. I tell you, I almost got PND just WATCHING a tiny little snippet of that woman's life on the TV.

Whenever I see anything about people having lots of multiples I just think about how HARD that must be, even more so single!

I have three singleton kids and they are hard enough work!
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