Cynthia’s Thoughts: Eight Babies? Wow!

On Tuesday, I heard that a woman in California gave birth to octuplets (she thought she was going to have seven – the eighth was a surprise).  Yes, eight babies at the same time.  While the woman currently wishes to be anonymous, and therefore, the hospital has not released much information about her or her babies, it’s probably correct to assume that she became pregnant through some sort of treatment.  It’s virtually impossible to naturally conceive eight babies at the same time.  Generally, doctors put in more than one egg at a time, since the success rate is not 100%.  Of course, I understand that there could have been many reasons why the mother ended up with eight babies, ranging from deciding not to reduce the number of eggs; to “super ovulation” –injecting drugs so that she could produce several eggs at the same time; to the off chance that a few of her eggs split, but  it’s beyond me why someone would risk her life (and the lives of the babies) to carry such a large number of babies, and go through with the process.

I also tried hard to figure out why there are people who would go through so much just to get pregnant.  Of course, for some women, actually giving birth to her own baby is an important part of her completing her womanhood.  But the most quoted reason is that a lot of families just want to have carried their genes onwards.  However, it doesn’t explain the usage of donor sperm or eggs.  Older women would, for example, more likely use a donor egg.  How would that be her genes?  I understand that it would likely be her husband’s sperm, but it’s still not “her” biological baby.  How would that be different from adopting the husband’s child from a previous relationship, genetically speaking? The societies here and abroad have issues with adoption.  In some cultures in Asia, for example, women would fake a pregnancy just to avoid losing face to the fact that the kid isn’t the family’s biological child.  What’s wrong with helping someone else out by raising their child?  Aren’t you doing something good for society by giving a child a comfortable home?  Honestly, wanting to have a child which shares your own genes and only a child which shares your own genes is nothing but selfish. 

Many are reluctant to adopt because it can be very expensive (while adoption through a public agency can be done at no cost in Canada, international adoption can cost $30,000 or more).  There could be additional costs to adoption since many children may have health issues (all of the California octuplets are under four pounds, some as small as just over one pound.  They were also not full-term).  But then fertility treatment can be costly too.  Ontario, for example, will pay for three cycles of treatment (though not for the drugs), but only for women with bilateral blocked fallopian tubes).  Of course, families have the right to choose whether to adopt or to having children through modern science.  However, if people got over the fact that they want kids who carry their genes, then perhaps they’d give adoption a more serious consideration. 

Late breaking news: The media announced found out that the mother already has six older children.  That’s fourteen kids, including the octuplets.  Why would someone go through fertility treatment if they already have six kids?  It makes this story even crazier.