The octuplet woman, crazy, selfish or normal?

[Locrian]

Ha ha ha! “Miss Baby Factory”! Who said that one again? Priceless!

If anyone else is into legible torture, link to the LA Times.
All the flipping capital letters!

I linked to her website-- very first grade, but that might be
a theme for MBF. You can leave a donation or a comment,
and yes, American Express is accepted. Visa too.

Simply, this woman and her doctor saw a chance at fame,
and it’s not that far fetched: “Hmmm… can’t afford the six
I already have… I’ll have WAY too many, the bleeding hearts
will pay for it.”

I believe this will definitely happen, less than a month,
new house, all educations (for the 14) paid and earning
interest.

The real genius in this fothcoming abuse story is clearly
the press agent who dialed her number the fastest.

[Annie-Xmas]

I caught the Dateline Interview and also Dr. Phil did a show on her yesterday. He pointed out the she couldn’t run a day care center, be approved as a foster parent, or adopt children under her present living conditions.

I noticed she kept saying “in the future.” In the future, I won’t be raising my children on welfare. In the future, I’ll have a good job and pay my own way. In the future…in the future…in the future.

She doesn’t deal with the present at all. Scarlett O’Hara has nothing on this person.

[Celyn]

Haha, and Scarlett at least didn’t want “a passel of brats”

[Annie-Xmas]

She also made sure that the sperm donor/biofather would have no legal right to the children, but “in the future” she might let him be a part of their lives.

That $2M will probably be gone within the year. If you think I’m giving money because you chose to have 14 children, you are out of your fucking mind, lady

[ivan_astikov]

@Annie-Xmas

She also made sure that the sperm donor/biofather would have no legal right to the children, but “in the future” she might let him be a part of their lives.

When interest is waning and her ‘story’ needs a publicity boost.

[crowmanyclouds]

@curlcoat

I’m having a lot of trouble with the idea that children with these issues are eligible, much less receiving, Social Security Disability insurance.

This might help,

… SSDI is a social insurance program, and benefits are only granted after a lengthy determination process, whereby the applicant must prove that they are disabled. SSDI is contrasted with Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”), a welfare, or needs-based program administered by the Social Security Administration for people who demonstrate financial and resource poverty, in addition to medical disability. Applicants for SSDI are often required to concurrently apply for SSI if they may qualify, and vice versa. …

… According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), a person qualifies for SSDI if they:

* have a physical or mental condition that prevents them from engaging in any "substantial gainful activity" ("SGA"), and
* the condition is expected to last at least 12 months or result in death, and
* they are under the age of 65, and
* generally, have worked 5 out of the last 10 years[1] as of the determined date of onset of disability

The work requirement is waived for applicants who can prove that they became disabled at or before the age of 22, as these individuals may be allowed to collect on their parent’s or parents’ work credits. …[RIGHT]CITE[/RIGHT]

CMC fnord!

[LavenderBlue]

@even_sven

I know plenty of people who have had happy, meaningful lives living 8 kids and parents to one room. Chinese college students typically live in 6-8 person dorms. Now, this woman is surely crazy and the circumstances are far from ideal and I’m not at all saying she did a good thing. But there is no reason why sharing a bedroom with a few siblings should screw you up for life. Millions of people do it and it works out.

Largely self sufficient college students sharing living space are one thing.

Eight very low birth weight infants are quite another. You cannot possibly compare the two situations.

[MsWhatsit]

Also, I suspect that the dormitory the 8 Chinese college students are sharing is significantly bigger than the average size of a bedroom in a mid-sized 3-bedroom home, which is where Octo-Mom is living.

[MeDrewNotYou]

@ivan_astikov

I totally agree with Lynn. These children will have a far better chance of living healthy, individualised lifestyles if they are adopted out, than if they stay in the circus that household is going to become.

I’ll go a step further and actually hope that CPS will be able to do something ASAP. It seems to me that this woman isn’t fit to be the parent of 2 kids*, much less 14. I don’t know the ideal ratio of adults to kids that a daycare aims for, but even if 1:7 (woman + mother) is doable, 2 kids are already special needs and of the 8 new ones, I’d be surprised if at least 2 more won’t be as well.

Getting the children into foster homes or adopted will be far more favorable than the situation ivan summed up pretty well.

*-I’ll grant that a single mother on welfare could handle a couple of kids, even if she’s mentally ill, with the help of her family.

[Yodalicious]

The hospital where the kids were born is asking California for help with the costs. So those of you who live in California are now payng for her kids twice.

[Annie-Xmas]

What a freaking minute. They implanted six embryos six times? And some of them twinned?

I guess we should be thankful she doesn’t have 72 children!

[Chief_Pedant]

@Jolly_Roger

The octuplet woman, crazy, selfish or normal?

And a shining example how the weak and underprivileged are able to rape the responsible on a par with the powerful and privileged.

[gonzomax]

She is young enough to get into the 20s with another litter or 2. The burden falls onto her family. I feel for them. Grandparents generally do not mind helping out but taking care of 14 kids is not growing old comfortably and quietly. They will not have a moments peace.

[Invisible_Chimp]

If she had a partner or a job, I would not care if she had 14 kids. I don’t mind that the Duggars have “17 kids and counting” or the Gosselins have 8 kids either. Because those two families have shown to be more responsible than Ms. Suleman. I guess as my examples show, you really need your own show on TLC to responsibly raise a big family

[you_with_the_face]

The Angelina Jolie lips did it for me.

Crazy as a cooter bug.

[Dangerosa]

@PeskiPiksi

Yeah, I’m definitely more interested in the doctor in this case than the woman, who is obviously batshit crazy.

I know a (very) little about IVF, since my sister and her husband went through it three times a few years ago. (They have two four-year-olds now, yay! and are getting ready to start the process of adopting a third child.) Anyway, I was talking with my sister about this and she was just astounded. Apparently her doctor was cautious about putting in even two viable embryos at a time. “Are you sure you want to do two? There’s always a possibility that they might split, so you need to consider that.” Etc.

And the reason is because multiple births like this are dangerous, for both the mother and the babies. Even twins have a higher rate of complications, prematurity, etc., let alone eight freakin’ babies at a time. This doctor needs to have his license revoked–he put her and her babies’ lives in danger needlessly.

And that’s leaving aside the ethical considerations of implanting six embryos in a woman who already had six children under the age of seven that she couldn’t afford to take care of properly.

My RE made me sign off that we’d do “selection” if we conceived more than four children at a time. Alternatively, we’d release their practice from all liability but would need to find another practice to supervise the pregnancy and deliver the babies.

[Dangerosa]

@Daddypants

The hospital where the kids were born is asking California for help with the costs. So those of you who live in California are now payng for her kids twice.

That must make Californians happy, since their state is bankrupt and I hear they aren’t getting the tax refunds that they are supposed to get this year.

[Magiver]

I have yet to find out who paid for the procedure. Anybody know? She is suppose to be $50K down on a student loan.

[Chief_Pedant]

@Magiver

I have yet to find out who paid for the procedure. Anybody know? She is suppose to be $50K down on a student loan.

“Suleman received disability payments for an on-the-job back injury during a riot at a state mental hospital, collecting more than $165,000 over nearly a decade before the benefits were discontinued last year.
Some of the disability money was spent on in vitro fertilizations, which was used for all 14 of her children, Suleman said. She said she also worked double shifts at the mental hospital and saved up for the treatments. She estimated that all her treatments cost $100,000.” News, Politics, Sports, Mail & Latest Headlines - AOL.com

And she has $50G in debts already, so obviously some of that went into her IVF budget.

Plus who knows how much she owes her in vitro guy. He may have been counting on getting paid when she made money off her celebrity status. I hope he has to line up behind the hospital to get any money.

[even_sven]

OctoMom is crazy and probably a bad person. I’ll stick to my guns though that there are other ways to raise successful children besides the “American suburban” model. THIS almost certainly isn’t one of them. But I’m not going to look down my nose and make little clucking noises just because someone raises kids in different circumstance than I grew up in. I will look down and make clucking noises at this woman for being pretty crazy, though.

@MsWhatsit

Also, I suspect that the dormitory the 8 Chinese college students are sharing is significantly bigger than the average size of a bedroom in a mid-sized 3-bedroom home, which is where Octo-Mom is living.

Not really. They are basically hallways with four sets of bunk beds shoved on the sides, tiny desks in the spaces. and a small balcony to hang drying clothes. The kids in my school don’t even have bathing facilities in their building! I don’t know how they do it.