Remember the Octomom?
Since there’s probably not a soul out there fortunate enough to be puzzled by this question, we think it’s better to celebrate her re-emergence in the news with something more fitting. How about...
Remember the Octomom.
Because just like the Alamo, this is a battle we lost, and one that we desperately need to remember. What was the battle you ask?
This time around, the tabloid-fueled media blitz revolves around her defense of the fertility doctor who helped her conceive 14 children. According to the Associated Press, Octomom (aka Nadya Suleman) gave an interview to an online tabloid stating that the doctor did “absolutely nothing wrong.”
We disagree. Herein lies the battle: balancing the right to personal privacy with medical safety (and sanity).
No one should dictate what women (or anyone for that matter) can do with their bodies, especially when it comes to reproductive issues. But few would argue that this procedure or its result is safe or healthy... or sane. It endangered the mother and the children will surely find it difficult to lead a normal life.
Fortunately, The California Medical Board agrees with us. It has accused the doctor, Michael Kamrava, of gross negligence. Emphasis on gross.
He transferred too many embryos (as she already had six kids, one was probably too many), used fresh embryos when frozen ones were available, and most importantly he failed to refer her for a mental health evaluation.
Aggressively pursuing doctors who ignore medical guidelines may be the only way to prevent these absurd procedures while protecting the rights of mothers.
Either way, remember the Octomom.
