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Mother of California Octuplets – What’s Your Opinion?


Commentary
By Rosemary Piser
Associate Editor, eNews Park Forest

Nadya Suleman, the Southern California woman who recently gave birth to octuplets, provided her reasons for having a large family during Ann Curry’s exclusive interview on Friday’s Today show. According to Ms. Suleman, while growing up as an only child she dreamed of having a “huge family.” In addition to the octuplets, Ms. Suleman is already the mother of six other children, all under the age of 7.

“All I wanted was children. I wanted to be a mom. That’s all I ever wanted in my life. I love my children,” she told Curry.

When questioned by Curry about how she will provide for her 14 children, Suleman indicated that she intends to return to college in the fall to complete a master’s degree in counseling. According to the Curry interview, Suleman had worked in a state mental hospital from 1997-2006, but has been on disability since injuring her back in 1999 during a riot at the mental facility.

Suleman told Curry, “I’m providing myself to my children. I’m loving them unconditionally, accepting them unconditionally. I’ll stop my life for them and be present with them. And hold them. And be with them. And how many parents do that?” Suleman further stated that parents who do not model their child-rearing skills in a similar manner are “selfish.”

Unlike the outpouring of positive sentiment that the public usually affords parents of multiples, the majority of those commenting on various blogs has been overwhelmingly unfavorable. Many prominent physicians have claimed that inseminating a woman who appears to be in need of mental health treatment is a serious ethical violation and have called for a full investigation of both the fertility clinic and physician(s) involved.

What do you think? Should children be used as a means to fill voids in the lives of their parents? Is loving a child ‘unconditionally’ all you need to do to be a successful parent? Do you see ethical issues with the physicians involved?

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