Iowa Septuplets 1st Edition 1
By now, I imagine almost everyone has heard of the "miracle" that has occurred in the grand state of Iowa. A woman, with a little help from a fertility drug called Pergonal, gave birth to the world's only living human litter...I mean, septuplets. The mother is a former seamstress and the father is a billing clerk at a car dealership. Neither parent earns enough money to adequately support one child, much less eight. This "small" problem has been taken care of by the generosity of the American public. The overwhelming task of raising seven babies has been eased by contributions donated by individuals and companies. From a new car to college scholarships to free diapers, it appears almost all aspects of child rearing have been covered for the McCaugheys. With this enormous outpouring of support for the McCaugheys, only one question comes to mind: Along with the arrival of the McCaughey septuplets comes a firestorm of controversy over the couple's decision and the actions of their fertility doctor. Multiple births often end with either death or serious medical problems for some or all of the babies. No one knows for certain the septuplets are completely out of woods. Serious developmental problems may not be apparent for years. The McCaugheys had the option of not proceeding with the final stage of the fertility treatment when they learned Bobbi had produced far too many eggs. Once the choice was made to proceed to the final step and the eggs were fertilized, they could have elected for selective reduction. This Bible-banging couple from the Hawkeye State was having none of that! They stated it was "god's will" for them to have all seven of their "precious" babies. Yeah, like god said, "Those damn Catholics keep breeding like rabbits! What we need are more white trash Baptists!" They brought science and medicine, not god or religion, into this. All of the attention has been focused on the septuplets, but they are not the McCaugheys' only children. They have a twenty-one-month-old daughter, also conceived with fertility drugs. This child has not benefited from the birth of her seven brothers and sisters. No articles have been written about her. No pictures have been taken of her. No one has given her a Sing and Snore Ernie. This all adds up to a miserable childhood. She will be neglected and this, quite frankly, will cause her to be monumentally fucked-up. "Mommy, I haven't eaten in a month!" "Who the hell are you?" I have been thinking of the "perfect" way to end this article, and while I try to avoid giving advice, I'm taking a cue from Charlie the Tuna. If this couple wants to keep their sanity and make some money on the side, they should sell most or all of the septuplets on the black market. White babies fetch a pretty penny there. The money will support them nicely for the years to come, and the children will have separate, happy homes with parents who will not constantly be on the brink of a nervous breakdown.
Iowa Septuplets 1st Edition 2
Multiple births may be "god's will," but profiting from those births is the American way.