It Takes a Judicial Bench to Raise Octuplets
California's prisons are so overcrowded that three federal judges say it's damaging the physical and mental health of the inmates. So they've tentatively ordered the release of tens of thousands of non-violent prisoners to stop it from continuing.
With that in mind, may I issue an invitation to these judges?
Your Honors, please get yourselves on down to Whittier. Check out a three-bedroom house occupied by an older couple, their daughter and -- soon -- by her 14 children.
None of these children is older than seven. Three of the six older children have some kind of disability. Eight are infants, octuplets, with possible health complications, the scope of which is still unknown. Their mother has no job. She has no income, apart from the food stamps and disability checks for her children. She still owes $50,000 in student loans.
The six older children already sleep in bunk beds and get fed in shifts. Where will the other eight, the newborn octuplets, squeeze in when they come home? Who will pay for their food? Their medical needs? Who will change their diapers and look out after them not only now, in the glamor of their celebrity, but in the years to come?
So Your Honors -- please. If you can look out for the welfare of inmates, please look out for the welfare of these children. Find out whether all these circumstances mean that they too are in peril -- and if so, please consider ordering them to be released from these risky conditions, to homes.
[Who can still, in good conscience, say that this single heterosexual mother is de facto a better parent than a gay couple with the love and better means to adopt and bring up even one child?]
Give it some thought, Your Honors: do you think you need to Free the Whittier Eight?
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What's really sad is when Nadya's Father says his biggest fear in life, is that something will happen to either him or his ex-wife (the Grandmothe
They are BOTH in their Mid 70's - have been raising SIX kids already - their home is in foreclosure, they've gone thru their Retirement and spend all their Social Security on raising those kids while:
Nadya spends HER time being a Professional Student for the past 7 years, gets EXPENSIVE IVF Treaments (when she ALREADY has SIX kids) and three of them have disabilities, gets plastic surgery and HAS NO JOB - NO HUSBAND.
I feel sorry for those parents. They should be enjoying their Retirement - NOT raising 14 kids!
If this lady had been locked into some BACKWOODS HOLLOW in Kentucky and had 14 kids by an Unemployed cola miner it would be ok.
Better move to POOR COUNTRY so you can enjoy the applause of the Religious Right.
Listen, you all stop interfering in what is NOT your business - even if your so called tax dollars pay for her.
Your tax dollars are sending millions of people you don't know to school, building hospitals, digging wells, buying paper, and ALSO killing Iraqis in Iraq and children in Gaza. Are you so particular about your tax dollars when they are hurting others?
The children- all 14 of them, chose this woman as their mother...t
If you want to help set up a trust fund, let's all donate, and allow the State to parcel the money to her monthly. And take her off welfare.
Then when the kids get to 21, we dissolve the trust - how about that?
Meanwhile someone donates a 6 bedroom house- just needs 2 bathrooms on a piece of land - leased for 25 years only.
Another thought: you start by saying we should not interfere, then you conclude by suggesting we all interfere by donating money, land and a house...
You can't just take away children because they are living in a crowded house. The children are here. They don't deserve to be the subject of so much derision. Afterall the birth of a child is a joyous event. The family was extremely fortunate that all were born healthy. No one knows what the future holds for them, but at the very least these little children deserve to be welcomed into the world. The situation is shocking, but the children are not at fault. They are here now and the family needs as much support as possible, and congratulations are in order on their births. Would you want to look back 15 years from now to see what people had to say on the occasion of your birth and find out only mean things were said and death threats were made? That is just too cruel for everyone involved. The mother is very articulate. She did something shocking, but that doesn't make her crazy or a bad mother. Her first six children seem to be healthy and happy. The whole family needs support, certainly not death threats or less than charitable comments. I think people need to stop and think before they say anything more. There are eight lovely little babies here now that deserve to be cherished and their mommy shouldn't have to apologize. She beat the odds and delivered eight healthy infants. She must have done something very right while she was pregnant.
You can't just take away someone's children. Being overcrowded isn't enough of a reason. The kids are here now. Their arrival doesn't deserve to be the subject of so much derision. Afterall, the birth of a child - and in this case all very much wanted - is still a joyous event. All eight are healthy and cute. That's something to celebrate. Who knows what the future holds for them, but certainly congratulations are due on the occasion of their births and obviously the family needs support and encouragement as they are very much struggling and the poor grandmother is understandably exhausted and frustrated. But it isn't the kids fault that they are a burden, they are also a joy.
And please take that fertility doc's license away.....a
This is a disaster of epic proportions just waiting to happen.. Dr. Phil was right when he said, "they'll be stacking them in there like cord wood".
We find out today that this church she said she belonged to has never heard of her.
1500 sq.ft. for 17 people. Hmmmm. My math tells me that is less than 100 sq.ft. PER PERSON. Keep in mind that works out to less than a 10' x 10' area each. A crib takes up about 8 sq.ft.
8 sq. ft. x 14 comes out to 108 sq. ft. Figure another. I'm estimating another 16 sq.ft. for area around each crib; that's 16 x 14 = 124 sq.ft.
108 + 124 = 232 sq. ft. JUST FOR CRIB SPACE ( a very conservative estimate.) That leaves less than 1300 sq.ft. to move around in with all those people. Hazardous and unsanitary? YA THINK???
Space for changing tables.
Space for cases of formula (which NO baby should be fed-- the poop is like gravel).
Space for swings.
Space for diapes.
Space for beds for the older kids.
Space for adult beds.
Space for clothing.
Several washers and dryers.
All in a 10 x 10 area per person.
God forbid and perish the thought.
CPS needs to swoop in and find these kids, ALL OF THEM, homes with more space and the attention they deserve!!!
Someone is definitely going to have to look out for these 14 kids. I don't care to get into the debate over whether it was ethical for doctors to perform IVF on a woman who doesn't seem to have the means to support herself or her growing brood.
However, what I will GLADLY criticize is the assumption that these 14 kids deserve proper care more than the thousands of prison inmates referenced at the beginning of this blog entry, never mind the millions imprisoned in the U.S. Surely innocent children must be care for-- this goes without question. But to say that the needs of one human being, imprisoned, free, immigrant or otherwise, are more more important than another individual
Simply put, use a different analogy next time. When you consider the incredibly inhumane conditions of prisons, along with biases in our judicial system, it's tricky to say that even "guilty" prisoners do not deserve basic human rights. They all do, regardless of why or how they ended up in jail.
There was an old woman,
Who lived in a shoe;
She had so many children,
She didn't know what to do.
She gave them some broth,
Without any bread;
She whipped them all soundly,
And sent them to bed.
Those 6 kids--some of whom were interviewed on MSNBC, are able to forecast the bad outcome--from the mouths of babes, "It's going to get 'squishy' in here with all those cribs"...
The Grandmother opted to have ONE child..and surely this is not the way this dear woman envisioned spending her Golden Years.
I stand firm in my conclusion that ANY external monetary stimulus via donations be deemed as "INCOME" from Social Services and deducted from her Welfare cheque.
Child Services MUST intervene and place the babes in Foster care. Already--at their tender age(s), the children's hopes for higher education are immediately --dashed.
I question this *supposed*
If Nadjya falls ill...who shall care for the kids? The bandwagon volunteers will grow weary and she can likely forget years and years of required devoted volunteer help.
BBC had a special called 7UP!; following in 7 year intervals the 'progress' of several children from varying backgrounds in England. I'd ike to see a staggared 7 year follow up on the progressions of THIS family.
Sadly, these kids will stay with their nutso mother. Sympathy and funds should go to her PARENTS who have been neglected and abused. How presumptuous of this thoughtless and stupid woman! Her mother and father will just take in 8 more kids and feed, clothe and raise them.
41 years ago I brought one baby home and was fairly overwhelmed for a few days. I remember not getting any sleep, doing laundry day and night, not eating enough, etc. etc. etc. Eventually, a month, I got my routine down and we sailed through. I breastfed both of my children and that makes everything easier. Obviously, this woman isn't breastfeeding the 8. If they eat every hour, that is 96 bottles to fill, warm and dispense.
Please tell me that we've all dreamed this!
Well said Brother!
Yes, judges need to intervene and not send these eight babies home to a mother who is unstable. She has six other kids which her mother feeds, clothes and raises. She does not help with support of the kids, but spends her disability check (167K) on invitro fertilization to have eight more kids. Nadya Suleman sayes she is not supported by taxpayers, but this is untrue and all 14 kids will be supported by taxpayers. That is bad enough, but what about the attention and care for these new eight babies? Will her mother be able to work around the clock without dying to support all 14 while Nadya playes mommy on TV, but does nothing to help raise her kids? Please step in and find good homes for the newborns. There are many loving couples who cannot have kids who would take good care of these babies.
Somebody will have to intervene, because there is so much media focus on this family. I doubt that any of the octuplets will go home even when they are healthy enough to leave the hospital. It is physically impossible to house so many infants and six other children plus three adults in a 1500 sq foot house. Unless somebody buys this woman a house big enough for all of them, these babies are going in the foster care.
This woman is hoping to collect 'donations' on her website. (Paypal accepted for your convenience!)
Bleeding hearts, please make your contributions directly to the people who will be financially supporting these kids : California Social Services
CSS needs your help more than a mom who can afford 6 IVF treatments, plastic surgery, and schooling for a master's degree.
Yes right to California Social Sevices and move to that farm in the midwest that was offered. Please share Californias good fortune with one of our lovely midwestern states. It will take a lot of money just to pay California for all expenses so far so the sooner she gets off the dole here the better. Patt Morrison's article was perfect. Please leave the babies behind in a good home gay or straight
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