Octuplets’ Grandma: I’m Outta Here

Published on January 31st, 2009

Araceli Castro, right, who identified herself as the nanny. Courtesy AP

Octuplets’ Grandmother: My Daughter Was Obsessed With Having Children

The mother of six who gave birth to octuplets in California this week just wanted “one more girl” and was obsessed with having children, her mother said.

Nadya Suleman, 33, conceived all 14 of her babies through in vitro fertilization, her mother told The Associated Press. She isn’t married and has been fixated on being a mother since she was a teenager, Angela Suleman said.

Last year, Nadya Suleman decided to have more embryos implanted, hoping to have “just one more girl,” her mother told The Los Angeles Times.

“And look what happened. Octuplets. Dear God,” Angela Suleman told the newspaper Friday. She said she wasn’t supportive of her daughter’s decision to try to get pregnant again.

She said she warned her daughter, “I’m going to be gone” when she gets home from the hospital.

Reports Friday cast Nadya Suleman in an unflattering light. CBS News reported that the single mother filed for bankruptcy and abandoned her home less than two years ago.

Fourteen kids and a free ride at Mom’s? That doesn’t seem right, somehow.

44 users responded in " Octuplets’ Grandma: I’m Outta Here "

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# 1 Gary, the dangerous infidel said, on January 31st, 2009 at 1:46 pm

Once in awhile you see a story that makes the case against science without even trying.

# 2 BubbaRay said, on January 31st, 2009 at 1:56 pm

Case against science? I hope that’s a joke. What about all the women who really want children and this is their only hope? Science is just a tool, and this woman obviously misused it, just as some people misuse alcohol or guns.

# 3 jccalhoun said, on January 31st, 2009 at 1:56 pm

I guess all the adoption agencies have closed and there aren’t any more orphans around so we need to research all this fertility stuff?

# 4 bobbo said, on January 31st, 2009 at 1:57 pm

This story has nothing to do with science and everything to do with a negligent doctor who should have his license suspended for a year or so: no more than two embryo’s at a time.

Pretty obvious the chick needed psychiatric care.

So, Gary===what do we think when more facts come out? Nut bag scientist, or religionist just trusting in god (yes, while getting in vitro==thats how crazy they are.)

# 5 KD Martin said, on January 31st, 2009 at 1:59 pm

bobbo and I agree? It’s a red letter day. From #2, so does BubbaRay.

This clinic needs some kind of oversight.

# 6 Gary, the dangerous infidel said, on January 31st, 2009 at 2:08 pm

Relax, BubbaRay. ‘Twas a joke.

I know, bobbo, maybe the doctor has Alzheimer’s, and three times forgot that he’d already implanted a couple of embryos, and so he put in two more. But most doctors who have commented so far seem to agree that anything over 3 is disturbing and raises serious questions of medical ethics.

# 7 Special Ed said, on January 31st, 2009 at 2:11 pm

Car

# 8 contempt said, on January 31st, 2009 at 2:17 pm

Single mother with 14 kids and the California taxpayers get to pay for the ride. This welfare thing is working out really well don’t you think?

# 9 bobbo said, on January 31st, 2009 at 2:24 pm

#6–Gary===YOU are DANGEROUS!!!!!!!

# 10 Gary, the dangerous infidel said, on January 31st, 2009 at 2:34 pm

We also shouldn’t forget what unfavorable odds a child has, being born so prematurely. Preemie babies have a higher risk of respiratory problems, neurological disorders including deafness, various organ ailments, and the simple risk of early childhood mortality. This woman has definitely not done her children any favors in terms of their long term health issues.

Between the woman and her doctor, at least one of them should be semi-sane and able to make responsible decisions (or limit choices).

# 11 disturbed said, on January 31st, 2009 at 2:36 pm

#7 – The family you pictured has had all the kids naturally and is financially capable of having and raising the kids. They may be different, but at least I don’t pay for them.

#4 – I agree, no more than 2 at a time in someone this young. My wife and I considered invitro and the Doctor was very clear saying that he would never do more than 2 for someone so young. Irresponsible and I hope the Doctor’s name is released, people should know not to go to this Doctor ever.

# 12 bobbo said, on January 31st, 2009 at 2:38 pm

It is amusing. Men are crazy brutes raping and killing to go all alpha male, forming gangs in prison, and governments on the outside.

Women are nuturing mother earth types bearing and raising kiddies, forming families in prison, and families on the outside.

No reason at all not to recognize we are all the same.

# 13 Improbus said, on January 31st, 2009 at 2:55 pm

May I suggest tying her tubes now?

# 14 ECA said, on January 31st, 2009 at 3:10 pm

Questions:
1. does the MOTHER have a job?
2. A VERY WELL PAYING JOB??
3. NO husband?? She wants the kids and no husband?
4. Bankruptcy?? and MOVED home to save money?? and she wants MORE KIDS?? ALL from Invitro??

This person has a MENTAL disability, I give it LESS then 1 year and the state will take the kids.

# 15 BigBoyBC said, on January 31st, 2009 at 3:11 pm

It’s interesting how quickly attitudes towards this woman have changed. This morning, my mother and sister were talking about how amazing this was, then they saw the news taking about her other six kids, unmarried (according to report) and that doctor’s don’t implant that many embrios at one time.

They both did a major 180 in their attitudes, now their pissed off, think the mother is nuts and should have the kids taken away.

The mind of women, go figure…

(Mother’s, sister’s, and mother of eight)

# 16 Oh God More Insults? said, on January 31st, 2009 at 3:18 pm

What a wonderful story of 8 beautiful new babies being born into a world of hate. And learning there are 6 already, making 14 is just awesome! What a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a really big family and for many others to be touched by them. I must say, negative comments about the doctors, scientists, and mother, and statements that there should be limits on the ability to procreate, and taxes are worth about as much as the electrons paper my comment here is printed on.

Glory be to those who support and nurture LIFE and respect of all beings.

# 17 ArianeB said, on January 31st, 2009 at 3:27 pm

What do you bet laws will be passed over this.

If foster parents and adoptive parents have to go through rigorous screening, how come there is no screening parents for in vitro fertilization?

#1 the exact opposite is true, Once in a while you get a story that makes the case against pro-life advocacy without even trying.

# 18 ECA said, on January 31st, 2009 at 3:34 pm

Oh?

And who is going to pay for it?
NOT her.
The STATE will subsidize her. YOUR taxes.
ASK any mother about taking care of 3 kids. ITS A JOB.
NOW try 14.
THINK about 14 kids, delivered in 7 years. yes, the oldest is 7.

NO father, paramour, Lover,to HELP, work, PAY for these kids living and education.
and the ODDS say the state will probably TAKE THEM AWAY(at least most of them) and YOU WILL STILL PAY for them.

# 19 Pat M said, on January 31st, 2009 at 8:42 pm

#16, Oh God,

Glory be to those who support and nurture LIFE and respect of all beings.

And a couple of hallelujahs too. And don’t forget the old Praise the Lord and pass the ammo. And while we’re at it, why not bring a few more mouths into a home unable to care for them. Yup, pray for her then after the birth let’s all ignore her and her brood. Shit, we can even condemn her for being so selfish to want “just one more girl”.

The stupid bitch should have had at least half of them aborted.

# 20 Improbus said, on January 31st, 2009 at 9:16 pm

Who paid for this procedure? As I understand it in vitro fertilization isn’t cheap.

# 21 BubbaRay said, on January 31st, 2009 at 10:32 pm

#16, I sure hope that’s sarcasm. There won’t be much “nurturing” in a home with one parent and 14 tiny mouths to feed. These poor kids have been born into a non-family with an apparently very disturbed mother that has little money and a grandma that’s about to leave. Yeah, that’s nurturing all right. Pray in one hand and cry in the other, see which one fills up first.

# 22 GregA said, on February 1st, 2009 at 4:07 am

Why get a job at a group home or orphanage, when you can jut pop one out of your cootch?

# 23 Ron Larson said, on February 1st, 2009 at 4:58 am

I want to know what doctor decided that this was a good idea. He should have his license pulled.

This woman should have her tubes tied. She seems to have mental issues.

# 24 Ron Larson said, on February 1st, 2009 at 5:00 am

The article forgot to mention the news story yesterday where she is demanding $2 million dollars from Oprah or some other TV show in order to offset the cost of raising 14 kids. She is also seeking a sponsorship from a diaper company, calculating that she will need about 250 diapers a week.

# 25 bobbo said, on February 1st, 2009 at 5:17 am

It could well be that she could not afford 7 more kids, but could do quite nicely on 8 more?

# 26 Ivor Biggun said, on February 1st, 2009 at 5:19 am

A welfare single mom with 14 kids and no job who gets IVF to have the last 8??

This is a job for…

OBAMAMAN!!

Obamaman…leaping tall heaps of freshly printed US currency to hand out to the downtrodden and disadvantaged..

Obamaman…giving tax breaks and welfare checks to those who obviously need it more than the producers and those who are successful and responsible.

Obamaman…righting every wrong and returning the universe to its rightful position…

# 27 RTaylor said, on February 1st, 2009 at 6:00 am

US laws doesn’t matter. There are medical facilities worldwide that will perform procedures US physicians will not. You can get transplants and tooth implants for half of what US prices are. Major surgery in a country you can’t drink the water in. Less not forget US fertility clinics are in it for profit also. They treated the wrong end of this woman. It’s a good thing CA has all that budget surplus.

# 28 Mr Diesel said, on February 1st, 2009 at 6:02 am

#26

Now that’s funny.

# 29 Paddy-O said, on February 1st, 2009 at 6:33 am

Well let’s see.

1) Welfare state will pay the bills.
2) A woman’s right to choose is not subject to restriction.
3) Doctors have to perform procedures even if they think it’s unethical (according to libs)

These policies work well, I think. Let’s hear no more complaints about this…

# 30 Mr. Fusion said, on February 1st, 2009 at 6:54 am

#29, Cow-Paddy,

Trolling again.

1) Welfare state will pay the bills.

Do you really think so? Maybe you have something to back that up.

2) A woman’s right to choose is not subject to restriction.

Why should it be. If you want to restrict her body then why can’t we also restrict yours? If you have an argument because a woman “abused” her “right to choose”, then maybe we can use that exact same argument with gun owners.

3) Doctors have to perform procedures even if they think it’s unethical (according to libs)

They do? As I understand it, physicians may not discriminate but that doesn’t include unethical procedures.

All this sounds more like typical right wing nut trolling.

# 31 joan said, on February 1st, 2009 at 8:25 am

I’m old enough to remember when people like this were put into mental hospitals and their children were put into orphanages or up for adoption. We now have created, over the past 40 very odd years, a society in which crazy people are allowed to do pretty much whatever they want, under the protection of “freedom”. This woman cannot support herself or her existing children, and certainly cannot afford this new batch of 8. She has no resources to raise them, financially or socially (even her own mother is bailing out), and…she’s obviously CRAZY. How can we condemn all these children to be raised by this lunatic?

In a responsible, sane society, this woman would be put into a mental hospital, have her tubes tied, the doctors would be tried for malpractice, and all these children would be put into an orphanage, and hopefully all adopted out as they are all pretty young. So many people would love to have babies – we need to take care of existing children and not create endless supplies of new ones to fulfill some individual’s insane longings. But we live in a topsy turvy world where no one takes responsibility for anything anymore so these children will grow up neglected and this nut will probably continue to produce even more….

# 32 Dallas said, on February 1st, 2009 at 8:47 am

PWT (poor white trash) at it’s finest. And what does the Catholic church say about this?

Papal Commission on Birth Control?
Commission voted 30-5 to relax the concerns on birth control. Pope Paul VI in Humanae Vitae reiterated the anti-birth-control stance. He said “..fearing the governments could force sterilization..”. His final point is “..God created sex to create children..”

So there you have it. Thank good there are “only” 1.1 Billion of them.

# 33 Special Ed said, on February 1st, 2009 at 9:23 am

#32 – Popie just wants to refresh the pool for the pedophile priests.

# 34 GF said, on February 1st, 2009 at 9:40 am

#32 I believe she is of Arabic decent and is probably not Catholic.

The irony is that she use to work as a psychiatric technician. She is divorced and after she was injured on the job she decided to start having kids.

# 35 Mr. Fusion said, on February 1st, 2009 at 10:13 am

#31, joan, aka Cow-Paddy

In a responsible, sane society, this woman would be put into a mental hospital, have her tubes tied, the doctors would be tried for malpractice, … .

Don’t you mean in a repressed society where the fundamentalists get to enforce the rules?

So she had a bunch of kids. Big deal, that is not illegal. If it was so detrimental to society then the Social Services could have had her committed, but they didn’t. There are no reports of her being a danger to herself or others and any suggestion would just be your already biased opinion.

This woman cannot support herself or her existing children, and certainly cannot afford this new batch of 8.

Can you back that up? Do you know her finances?

There is also nothing saying that she is living off of the State. In a TV interview, the grandfather stated that they were sufficiently wealthy to care for the children themselves. He also expressed a desire for the news reporters to get the hell out of his face.

So many people would love to have babies – we need to take care of existing children and not create endless supplies of new ones to fulfill some individual’s insane longings.

Every State has a long list of children waiting to be adopted. Many of these children will go their entire life without a home they can call their own. When the fundies start worrying about those children then maybe their interference into other people’s lives can carry some weight.

But we live in a topsy turvy world where no one takes responsibility for anything anymore so these children will grow up neglected and this nut will probably continue to produce even more….

And people like you will continue to place your judgment values on others with little or no knowledge of their lives. Eff you joan / Cow-Paddy. Worry about your own sorry excuse of a life.

# 36 meetsy said, on February 1st, 2009 at 10:44 am

You guys don’t seem to get it “have her tubes tied” HELLO…what is the need, she can’t get pregnant via the ol’in-out, she has concieved all her little spawn via medical intervention. She has “blocked fallopian tubes”. What does that mean? Nature tied her tubes…and if nature had been the ruling party…she would have ZERO kids.
She had some money at some point to pay for egg harvesting, she probably bought some sperm from a sperm bank…and then who knows? Did she scam or manipulate the system? Maybe. (She has worked in the medical field.) I’m sure what happened was the embryo holding facility wanted the payments to keep them frozen…she probably said “heck, I’ll just shove them all in and give them a chance”. (Some women see the frozen embryos as ..living beings, thanks to the modern Christian anti-choice brainwashing). her mother said “she couldn’t reduce the number of fetus’, she said it would be killing”.
The mother is PART OF THE PROBLEM! What a limp wristed victim standing on the sidelines quarterbacking. Bashing her daughter in public, but never doing anything to stop this insanity?!! She could have stepped up to the parent plate and petitioned to have some of the fetus’ aborted. Give me a break. She could have proven that her daughter was of unsound mind. Did she? No. First she defends her idiot offspring, then she turns on her, and now she “won’t be there when you get out of the hospital”. HELLO….didn’t she have some clue for the last 7-8 months that this was going to happen? The mother is an idiot, and obviously the daughter didn’t fall far from the tree.
Yes the crazy single mother of 8 more is SICK. She’s crazy. She’s irresponsible and an idiot. But, she is getting the attention she wants, and praise, too. There are those amongst us who will celebrate her as some sort of tommy-gun vagina super-mother, ideal female, able to shit them one-after-another in the ultimate “pregnant and barefoot” insanity that plagues the biblebelt. It’s outstanding in it’s lack of regard for the planet, for the millions of orphaned kids crawling the earth, blind to any ability to support these ‘fruit of the loins’ innocents, or even provide the most marginal life for them. She’s a hero..she didn’t abort any of them. She’s a martyr.
Watch her get a television show next to the little people, Jon and Kate, the family with 18 or whatever other crap the cable channels can come up with. Watch Oprah pay the 2 million. Watch all the other idiot interview shows want to interview her. Watch her get a book deal, or a documentary deal….and then, as interest fades, watch her live high on the hog on welfare. (She’s already on disability from a work related injury…) Uggh. What a world we live in.
Lets just all urge CPS to take the kids. After all, what are 8 more disabled, unable to be adopted (due to the lengthy process of terminating a parents rights) kids in the California foster system?
A drop in the overflowing bucket.

# 37 Paddy-O said, on February 1st, 2009 at 1:06 pm

# 30 Mr. Fusion said, “Do you really think so? Maybe you have something to back that up.”

Are you insane or, do you live in a cave?

# 38 ECA said, on February 1st, 2009 at 2:09 pm

Paddy,
do it this way..
SHE IS 27, and has 14 kids..Is proof enough..AND those 14 were all delivered in 7 years..Thats MORE proof.

Its nice to have allot of kids. BUT you raise 1-2 for about 4 years years, to HELP raise the next 1-2, and soforth..

1-2 kids is nice, you can help them, praise them, and control them.. Even having the 3-4th in 6 years can be fun, and the older kids help teach the younger.

THIS isnt a puppy mill. In nature, she would have lost over 1/2 the kids to starvation.
Even in the OLD farm style, where you have KIDS to help around the farm, you DONT have MORE then you can feed, YOURSELF.

# 39 Mr. Fusion said, on February 1st, 2009 at 2:54 pm

#37, Cow-Paddt,

Yup. Just another of your stupid claims you won’t back up.

# 40 MLO said, on February 1st, 2009 at 4:03 pm

Until you require licenses to those who just having sex to keep their kids, do not even go there with fertility treatments. You are full of it unless it is applied across the board.

This woman is being pilloried in the online infertility community – from the first story about her. We hate her for what she has done in her selfishness. She is a selfish, selfish, immature brat – nothing more (and I could use much stronger language).

She should have her children taken from her for choosing to either go against doctor’s orders and having sex via a canceled IUI, having 8 embryos transferred, or going to MEXICO to have this done. All possibilities. I do not trust there is accurate reporting on this because most patients barely know the difference between an IUI, IVF, and fertility drugs. I would not trust what this grandmother says.

This woman deserves no money, and if it is given her, it should be confiscated by the state of California for all expenses incurred by the state in the care of these newborns.

She has acted in a manner to endanger both her older children and these newborns. The maternal mortality rate in higher order multiples is quite high and she willingly risked her children’s future of having a mother.

I don’t know all the facts – and no one does – but the more I hear, the more I suspect some sort of medical fraud. I hope there is a police investigation.

This falls outside of the realm of normal medical practice and the medical community is condemning it as malpractice on the part of the doctor who transferred these embryos. At least, if what we have heard is true.

# 41 doug said, on February 1st, 2009 at 8:12 pm

#29. “A woman’s right to choose is not subject to restriction.”

oopsie – you are on the wrong side of this debate. if those frozen embryos are people with rights (as the anti-choice crowd claims), don’t they have the right to be set free from their icy freezer prison? and the more the better?

# 42 Mr. Fusion said, on February 1st, 2009 at 8:50 pm

#40, MLO,

What the eff are you babbling about? You are screaming the mother did wrong yet you admit you don’t the facts. Who the hell died and put you in charge?

This woman deserves no money, and if it is given her, it should be confiscated by the state of California for all expenses incurred by the state in the care of these newborns.

How much has the State spent so far? Oh, right, you have no idea. FYI, the vast majority of the costs will be for the babies, not her.

It is called a high risk pregnancy. As with anything, there is risk. Although it is not as common as it once was, birth is still risky for both, child and mother. HOWEVER, you can not claim she is irresponsible because she had given birth; that is a natural right to control her own body. Damn, I sure hope you aren’t claiming you should have any say over what she does with her body.

I don’t know all the facts – and no one does – but the more I hear, the more I suspect some sort of medical fraud. I hope there is a police investigation.

Why should the police investigate when you even admit you know of no law being broken. Unless there is a valid complaint of a law having been broken, that would be harassment.

And what you have heard is mostly conjecture and hearsay. If you don’t know the facts, then shut the eff up. There are enough problems in the world without you getting your lacy undies in a bunch over something none of your business and which you are ignorant of.

# 43 Glenn E. said, on February 2nd, 2009 at 2:08 am

KD Martin is right. What’s up with these clinics? Nobody’s holding them responsible for catering to this woman’s lunacy. Here we have responsible people, who can’t get a loan from the banks for a home or car. Or to keep their small business afloat. But this fertility clinic doesn’t care what this woman’s financial status is. They take her pocket money, and squirt some more embryos into her. And all this time, the government has had this ban on Stem Cell research. Because they pretend to care about human egg cells being messed around with. But it’s OK to embryo implant to the limit, any nut job that wants to. With little regulation or oversight as to who gets these. Disregarding all the precautionary state laws forbidding marriages to close relatives, to prevent birth defects. But there’s nothing stopping sperm/egg donors from being being as prolific as they want.

# 44 Mr. Fusion said, on February 2nd, 2009 at 7:58 am

#43, Glenn,

What’s up with these clinics? Nobody’s holding them responsible for catering to this woman’s lunacy.

What she does with her body is none of your concern. If she wants to tatto the Charge of the Light Brigade, that is her choice. If she want to sleep with 10 guys or 0 guys in one night, again, that is her choice. If she wants to wear adult diapers to bed, that is her choice. If she wants to have several of her frozen embryos implanted at one time, again THAT IS HER CHOICE.

Here we have responsible people, who can’t get a loan from the banks for a home or car.

A totally different story. I hope you aren’t feeling the effects of the economy too strongly, but that is totally irrelevant.

But this fertility clinic doesn’t care what this woman’s financial status is.

Why should they care? As far as I know, her check cleared. They were her embryos. It was her uterus. There is no law against doing this. They might very well have been successfully sued if they refused.

And all this time, the government has had this ban on Stem Cell research.

Again, totally irrelevant. And BTW, there was never a ban on stem cell research. There was a ban on using Federal money for stem cell research but private research was never stopped.

With little regulation or oversight as to who gets these.

Which makes what she did legal and none of your business.

Disregarding all the precautionary state laws forbidding marriages to close relatives, to prevent birth defects.

Is there any evidence that she used sperm from a close relative?

Can you actually point to humans actually passing on birth defects by close marriage? A good scientific study, not anecdotal stories.

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