The Sanctity Of Parenthood

I have to admit, I'm enjoying watching the right-wing blogs spins themselves into an ethical dither over the California octuplets story. Unmarried mother of 14! But she didn't kill the babies! The family is from Iraq! But it's a gift from God! The whole lot will end up on welfare! A lot of the commenters on Free Republic are somehow blaming Obama for this. Because, you know, he create this socialist state that will have to step in and care for the family.

In case you haven't been following along:

By last night, it was clear that Suleman is not an infertile woman who sought medical help to have children. The 33-year-old Californian already has six children. She is single and has no visible means of support for her current family, let alone the additional eight babies that now give her enough offspring to field a football team with three substitutes. In fact, Suleman still lives with her parents. Her family has revealed that she may have serious mental-health problems and be addicted to having children. Her own mother, Angela Suleman, told one Associated Press reporter: "[She] is not evil, but she is obsessed with children. She loves children, she is very good with children, but obviously she overdid herself."

Angela Suleman also revealed that her daughter's obsession with children caused her considerable stress, and led her to seek help from a psychologist, who had told her to order her daughter out of the house. "Maybe she wouldn't have had so many kids then, but she is a grown woman," Angela said. "I feel responsible and I didn't want to throw her out."

The case of the Suleman octuplets is now sending shockwaves through the medical fertility community. Few reputable doctors can understand how a healthy mother-of-six could have been allowed to have fertility treatment that resulted in octuplets without serious questions arising about the mother's mental health, her capacity to raise such a large family or the huge medical dangers involved in giving birth to so many babies at once.

I don't think there ever been a single story until now that hits on every right-wing talking point: immigration, two-parent families, abortion, welfare, religion, Iraq, socialism, fiscal responsibility, etc etc etc. Now if we could just get the mother to be a lesbian too....