TODAY'S BLOG IS AN OPINION ARTICLE. FEEL FREE TO LEAVE YOUR OPINION!
Okay - you probably knew I couldn't' resist this story, but hello folks - what's the deal with the thirty three year old woman giving birth to eight babies...and with the birth of the new babies she now has fourteen!? You know I love babies and pregnant women - that's my ministry... but is anyone going to address the elephant in the room??????
Almost as quickly as the media announced the arrival of the babies, they were also quick to point out that this woman is unmarried, was living at home with her parents, and had conceived six other children (four singletons and twins)... all with the aid of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and donated sperm. Say what??? Yes, six pregnancies that yielded fourteen babies ALL through medical procedure - no dad in sight! There is nothing conventional about this story whatsoever. The thirty three year old's mother(who had helped raise her other six children and provided housing for her daughter) has made negative comments about her daughter being "obsessed with children" and did not support her decision to have more. Of course, this didn't matter to the 33 yr. old. Um, mom and dad... wouldn't you be called enablers?
Several news sources have said that this "educated" woman wants to be a world recognized child expert. It is also reported that she has hired a publicist and is seeking outlets for her story, most reports indicating that she is seeking 2 million dollars. Ah, does someone smell something? Perhaps the smell of freshly printed cash???
No, we don't have the complete story, but from the tip of the iceberg, I know enough to say that I think people have totally lost their minds! Everything that we think is "right" in this world is being totally turned upside down including God's design for families and procreation. And we're supposed to sit back, gawk, applaud, and send our check! Glamorizing this phenomenon (as we have seen in other families) has added fuel to the fire. Why not pop out your own big family and cash in!? Of course, the TV family has commented on the current situation (because they are considered experts in multiples) saying, "People will judge you. Hold your head high..."
My comments today are not standing in judgment of anyone, but I will say that we have a right to discern the truth and recognize the difference between right and wrong! Something has gone haywire in Denmark when we don't have free expression of what we believe without being told "not to judge". We all have a right to look at this situation and shake our heads in disapproval!
The other thing that bothers me about this story is it comes at such a time in the world where issues of life are at the forefront. Does this make for more ammunition to war against large families? We are already being told by green gurus to limit the number of children per household. This not only for environmental causes to leave a smaller carbon footprint on our world and impact on our limited resources, but also because babies cost money. Children born into homes (that appear to be like this woman's) are more likely to be raised with our taxpayer dollars in the form of government assistance.
This raises many other questions in my mind, too. What about medical and moral ethics? Who would perform this procedure on this woman knowing all the background? Should she have been allowed to implant what is seemingly eight babies? First of all, who was paying for these children she had already? Who cares for them? Having six children of my own, I would say that it is a full time job raising a big family...and I happen to have a spouse. How in the world did she have the money not only for a higher education, but also for the IVF which resulted in said fourteen kids. Who pays for the medical care? What's going on here?
We have also been told by the newly highly publicist that this woman is educated, bright, and articulate! Oh, come on! Wouldn't her actions prove to be the contrary? My opinion is that her decision was not one that was "bright". Even if she was employed (which the news said she was) - she will not be able to hold down a job and raise all those kids by herself. Her parents are probably going to kick her out of the house (that isn't' big enough for their daughter and her huge family of kids all under the age of eight) and if she doesn't land a story deal with a big price tag attached- how will she raise these kids in the future? How will these kids have a father (which I believe is God's plan for families)... the questions go on and on. Meanwhile, the publicist gloats on how this woman is the most sought after popular mom in the world. What does it profit to gain the whole world....?
We're also told that these babies are a miracle... and so on and so forth. Anyone who has a baby declares how miraculous babies are. In this situation, it is a miracle that she didn't pass away from such a high risk pregnancy and that the babies are healthy and still living, but don't try to pas this off as God's doing or blessing (as if He bestowed this honor to her). This was a choice that she made all by herself. The Word teaches that we are to by yoked with God, not God with us. In other words, we can't go ahead of God and do our own thing and then expect God to give us His blessings. Of course, I'm sure this will be further played up by the media and she will reap benefits from her strange life.
One can't help but wonder what the motivation is in all of this. Was it to spawn not only children, but a career - media attention, book deals, and possibly a TV show like another famous multiples family on TLC? She will profit monetarily and with fame. Perhaps the children will as well - but at what cost?
Of course, we are asked to sympathize with this woman - who in their right mind would choose to have eight babies? And the violin plays softly in the background. Um, she did. She is the one who decided to have all those babies created in petri dishes and placed in her womb knowing there was a possibility of all of them "taking". Then we are asked to see her taking the moral high ground - as if she is a saint - for not choosing "reduction". Um, ethical dilemma for me here - When you choose IVF, aren't you creating more babies than needed in order to improve your chances of "success"? So technically in the beginning, you were willing for some of the babies to die anyway- or at least be frozen. Of course, we don't set out to destroy the embryos. Again the sainthood applies when the woman decided not to kill the frozen (YES FROZEN) babies... thus the final result of this woman implanting all eight (again, or so it seems). Ever hear of donating embyos to other infertile women? Isn't' that gross negligence- or at least recklessness - to know that all the babies could implant successfully and yet choose to do so? You decide.
Now with increased multiples resulting from IVF, don't most doctors limit the number of implantations? Makes you wonder about the doctors involved as well. Plus, shouldn't there be evaluations of the patients before IVF is performed? Perhaps consider the amount of other children, the financial situation, the support at home.... DUH! Even the adoption agency that I am familiar with limits the number of children that are allowed to be adopted by one family, checks the applicants (for adoption) credit, finances, household environment, marital status, etc. etc.
We're creating a Frankenstein so to speak. Look, I am not totally against IVF, but there is something to be said about taking God's job into your own hands. This science was revealed to us to use as a tool. This "power to create" is a huge responsibility - especially since we believe that life begins at conception (which would include when they are conceived in a petri dish). If it is used correctly, it helps women who could not conceive otherwise to have a baby. BUT, these conceptions and implantations should be 1-2 babies at the most in order to minimize the risks of death.
I am not against single parents, either. On the contrary, my hat goes off to them knowing that sometimes circumstances are beyond our control and there is no other option, but who would choose to single-handedly raise fourteen kids? Um, this woman did.
For the rest of us who have kids (and mine happens to be big) we know that this is not the real world. What happened to the "Leave it to Beaver" generation? We do not have big homes, TV shows, or donated baby clothes or goods by the truckload when we have kids. That's not reality. We have our kids the old fashioned way and usually try to base the number of children we have on what we can handle, afford, etc. We work jobs, go to church, live by the Bible, try to live morally, clean our humble houses, and pay the bills. That's what is normal. But, as we see what is normal is being redefined!
No, I don't like writing opinion articles, but I felt the need to take a position on this story. It affects the rest of us - whether we like it or not. We must speak the truth in love ...and sometimes love is tough. Nonetheless, truth remains and I am seriously concerned about how this will radiate and ripple through all of our lives. Even if you don't think this affects YOU, it does.
I suggest we not only pray for this woman, her eight newborns and six other children, her family that struggles to get a grip on things, the sperm donor who has now created 14 kids, but also our country and world as we come to terms with parenthood, moral standards, Biblical World views, raising children, and the rights of the unborn!
Almost as quickly as the media announced the arrival of the babies, they were also quick to point out that this woman is unmarried, was living at home with her parents, and had conceived six other children (four singletons and twins)... all with the aid of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and donated sperm. Say what??? Yes, six pregnancies that yielded fourteen babies ALL through medical procedure - no dad in sight! There is nothing conventional about this story whatsoever. The thirty three year old's mother(who had helped raise her other six children and provided housing for her daughter) has made negative comments about her daughter being "obsessed with children" and did not support her decision to have more. Of course, this didn't matter to the 33 yr. old. Um, mom and dad... wouldn't you be called enablers?
Several news sources have said that this "educated" woman wants to be a world recognized child expert. It is also reported that she has hired a publicist and is seeking outlets for her story, most reports indicating that she is seeking 2 million dollars. Ah, does someone smell something? Perhaps the smell of freshly printed cash???
No, we don't have the complete story, but from the tip of the iceberg, I know enough to say that I think people have totally lost their minds! Everything that we think is "right" in this world is being totally turned upside down including God's design for families and procreation. And we're supposed to sit back, gawk, applaud, and send our check! Glamorizing this phenomenon (as we have seen in other families) has added fuel to the fire. Why not pop out your own big family and cash in!? Of course, the TV family has commented on the current situation (because they are considered experts in multiples) saying, "People will judge you. Hold your head high..."
My comments today are not standing in judgment of anyone, but I will say that we have a right to discern the truth and recognize the difference between right and wrong! Something has gone haywire in Denmark when we don't have free expression of what we believe without being told "not to judge". We all have a right to look at this situation and shake our heads in disapproval!
The other thing that bothers me about this story is it comes at such a time in the world where issues of life are at the forefront. Does this make for more ammunition to war against large families? We are already being told by green gurus to limit the number of children per household. This not only for environmental causes to leave a smaller carbon footprint on our world and impact on our limited resources, but also because babies cost money. Children born into homes (that appear to be like this woman's) are more likely to be raised with our taxpayer dollars in the form of government assistance.
This raises many other questions in my mind, too. What about medical and moral ethics? Who would perform this procedure on this woman knowing all the background? Should she have been allowed to implant what is seemingly eight babies? First of all, who was paying for these children she had already? Who cares for them? Having six children of my own, I would say that it is a full time job raising a big family...and I happen to have a spouse. How in the world did she have the money not only for a higher education, but also for the IVF which resulted in said fourteen kids. Who pays for the medical care? What's going on here?
We have also been told by the newly highly publicist that this woman is educated, bright, and articulate! Oh, come on! Wouldn't her actions prove to be the contrary? My opinion is that her decision was not one that was "bright". Even if she was employed (which the news said she was) - she will not be able to hold down a job and raise all those kids by herself. Her parents are probably going to kick her out of the house (that isn't' big enough for their daughter and her huge family of kids all under the age of eight) and if she doesn't land a story deal with a big price tag attached- how will she raise these kids in the future? How will these kids have a father (which I believe is God's plan for families)... the questions go on and on. Meanwhile, the publicist gloats on how this woman is the most sought after popular mom in the world. What does it profit to gain the whole world....?
We're also told that these babies are a miracle... and so on and so forth. Anyone who has a baby declares how miraculous babies are. In this situation, it is a miracle that she didn't pass away from such a high risk pregnancy and that the babies are healthy and still living, but don't try to pas this off as God's doing or blessing (as if He bestowed this honor to her). This was a choice that she made all by herself. The Word teaches that we are to by yoked with God, not God with us. In other words, we can't go ahead of God and do our own thing and then expect God to give us His blessings. Of course, I'm sure this will be further played up by the media and she will reap benefits from her strange life.
One can't help but wonder what the motivation is in all of this. Was it to spawn not only children, but a career - media attention, book deals, and possibly a TV show like another famous multiples family on TLC? She will profit monetarily and with fame. Perhaps the children will as well - but at what cost?
Of course, we are asked to sympathize with this woman - who in their right mind would choose to have eight babies? And the violin plays softly in the background. Um, she did. She is the one who decided to have all those babies created in petri dishes and placed in her womb knowing there was a possibility of all of them "taking". Then we are asked to see her taking the moral high ground - as if she is a saint - for not choosing "reduction". Um, ethical dilemma for me here - When you choose IVF, aren't you creating more babies than needed in order to improve your chances of "success"? So technically in the beginning, you were willing for some of the babies to die anyway- or at least be frozen. Of course, we don't set out to destroy the embryos. Again the sainthood applies when the woman decided not to kill the frozen (YES FROZEN) babies... thus the final result of this woman implanting all eight (again, or so it seems). Ever hear of donating embyos to other infertile women? Isn't' that gross negligence- or at least recklessness - to know that all the babies could implant successfully and yet choose to do so? You decide.
Now with increased multiples resulting from IVF, don't most doctors limit the number of implantations? Makes you wonder about the doctors involved as well. Plus, shouldn't there be evaluations of the patients before IVF is performed? Perhaps consider the amount of other children, the financial situation, the support at home.... DUH! Even the adoption agency that I am familiar with limits the number of children that are allowed to be adopted by one family, checks the applicants (for adoption) credit, finances, household environment, marital status, etc. etc.
We're creating a Frankenstein so to speak. Look, I am not totally against IVF, but there is something to be said about taking God's job into your own hands. This science was revealed to us to use as a tool. This "power to create" is a huge responsibility - especially since we believe that life begins at conception (which would include when they are conceived in a petri dish). If it is used correctly, it helps women who could not conceive otherwise to have a baby. BUT, these conceptions and implantations should be 1-2 babies at the most in order to minimize the risks of death.
I am not against single parents, either. On the contrary, my hat goes off to them knowing that sometimes circumstances are beyond our control and there is no other option, but who would choose to single-handedly raise fourteen kids? Um, this woman did.
For the rest of us who have kids (and mine happens to be big) we know that this is not the real world. What happened to the "Leave it to Beaver" generation? We do not have big homes, TV shows, or donated baby clothes or goods by the truckload when we have kids. That's not reality. We have our kids the old fashioned way and usually try to base the number of children we have on what we can handle, afford, etc. We work jobs, go to church, live by the Bible, try to live morally, clean our humble houses, and pay the bills. That's what is normal. But, as we see what is normal is being redefined!
No, I don't like writing opinion articles, but I felt the need to take a position on this story. It affects the rest of us - whether we like it or not. We must speak the truth in love ...and sometimes love is tough. Nonetheless, truth remains and I am seriously concerned about how this will radiate and ripple through all of our lives. Even if you don't think this affects YOU, it does.
I suggest we not only pray for this woman, her eight newborns and six other children, her family that struggles to get a grip on things, the sperm donor who has now created 14 kids, but also our country and world as we come to terms with parenthood, moral standards, Biblical World views, raising children, and the rights of the unborn!
