Here's a twist that I haven't seen discussed here yet...
Who pays to take care of all these children? Where do we find the balance between a family's right to produce as many babies as they want and the taxpayers who often bear the burden of care?
As a taxpayer here in Southern California, I can tell you first-hand that the "Octomom" story made us angry here. This is a woman who has been on state disability and Medi-Cal for over a decade. The taxpayers have been paying for her care, as well as the care of her children, for years now. Here she is on the state doll, but still managed to find a way to pay for embryo implantation. While so many families are struggling to make ends meet, Suleman's out making more babies ... many more babies.
Personally, I have no problem with families seeking infertility treatments and having as many babies as they think they need - as long as they are paying for it themselves. As long as they, and their infertility specialists, are being responsible.
But when taxpayers are paying for your health care, then the taxpayers have a right to dictate that care. For better or for worse. If you don't want taxpayers (and the legislators who represent them) in your personal business, be ready to pay cash, and don't lean on the state doll for help unless you really need it. Instead of looking for work, Suleman was seeking infertility treatment when she already had SIX children!
BTW, I am a pro-choice, feminist, left-wing Democrat.
This issue comes down to responsibility. Any law that's going to be put on the books about limiting embryo-implantation needs to be very clear about who is/isn't going to pay - not only for the service itself, but the rippling costs such as: prenatal care, (often specialized and in the hospital because the woman is so high risk), labor and delivery (expensive just due to the amount of people needed to carry it out), postpartum recovery, NICU care for the babies, pediatric care, and any special needs care that may be required for the kids as they grow up. When you think simply about the $$$ amount that was placed upon the people of California just for this one pregnancy, it becomes a staggering idea.
In Sulemon's case, I hear she signed a contract for a reality TV series, which will go a long way towards providing the funds needed to take care of such a huge brood. So hopefully, she'll be able to be taken off Medi-Cal, get her own insurance, and be successful doing what she's always wanted to do ... be a mommy.
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Here's a twist that I haven't seen discussed here yet...
Who pays to take care of all these children? Where do we find the balance between a family's right to produce as many babies as they want and the taxpayers who often bear the burden of care?
As a taxpayer here in Southern California, I can tell you first-hand that the "Octomom" story made us angry here. This is a woman who has been on state disability and Medi-Cal for over a decade. The taxpayers have been paying for her care, as well as the care of her children, for years now. Here she is on the state doll, but still managed to find a way to pay for embryo implantation. While so many families are struggling to make ends meet, Suleman's out making more babies ... many more babies.
Personally, I have no problem with families seeking infertility treatments and having as many babies as they think they need - as long as they are paying for it themselves. As long as they, and their infertility specialists, are being responsible.
But when taxpayers are paying for your health care, then the taxpayers have a right to dictate that care. For better or for worse. If you don't want taxpayers (and the legislators who represent them) in your personal business, be ready to pay cash, and don't lean on the state doll for help unless you really need it. Instead of looking for work, Suleman was seeking infertility treatment when she already had SIX children!
BTW, I am a pro-choice, feminist, left-wing Democrat.
This issue comes down to responsibility. Any law that's going to be put on the books about limiting embryo-implantation needs to be very clear about who is/isn't going to pay - not only for the service itself, but the rippling costs such as: prenatal care, (often specialized and in the hospital because the woman is so high risk), labor and delivery (expensive just due to the amount of people needed to carry it out), postpartum recovery, NICU care for the babies, pediatric care, and any special needs care that may be required for the kids as they grow up. When you think simply about the $$$ amount that was placed upon the people of California just for this one pregnancy, it becomes a staggering idea.
In Sulemon's case, I hear she signed a contract for a reality TV series, which will go a long way towards providing the funds needed to take care of such a huge brood. So hopefully, she'll be able to be taken off Medi-Cal, get her own insurance, and be successful doing what she's always wanted to do ... be a mommy.
June 10, 2009 - 10:10amThis Comment
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