Canadian Mom Gives Birth To 18th Child

44-Year-Old Romanian Immigrant The Most Prolific Mom In British Columbia In 20 Years

(AP)  A Romanian immigrant has given birth to her 18th child in British Columbia, making her the province's most prolific mother in 20 years.

Proud dad Alexandru Ionce said Saturday that his 44-year-old wife, Livia, gave birth on Tuesday. Their daughter Abigail weighed in at seven pounds, 12 ounces.

"We never planned how many children to have. We just let God guide our lives, you know, because we strongly believe life comes from God and that's the reason we did not stop the life," said Alexandru Ionce.

The couple immigrated to Canada from Romania in 1990 and now lives in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Their 17 other children range in age from 20 months to 23 years old.

Ionce said he did not know if the couple would have more children. The family now has 10 girls and eight boys.

"We would have liked a boy to be even," he said. "We thank God all of them are healthy and happy."

Ionce said the family has received calls from Germany, Romania and England, as well as from media outlets across Canada.

[drivelphobe]

Disgusting!

[loneeagle57]

Oh get it on baby! Let that welfare system work for you

[loneeagle57]

Oh get it on baby! Let that welfare system work for you

[hypnotoad72]

Dang, I thought this was about the Duggars.

Oh well, will this race to pop out more needless babies soon continue with 19?

(And remember, God can only do so much. He is the Ultimate responsibility, but that doesn''t give the rest of us carte blanche...)

[hypnotoad72]

On the plus side, at age 44, menopause is bound to kick in. Of course, will she pester doctors to do in vitro and other induced methods of getting pregnant? :rolleyes:

[mythoughtsr]

I think something other than God is guiding his life. I think he needs to look down and find the source.

[sistatee-2009]

She''ll be a great cougar after the kids are grown.

[cbsfan73]

They are just adding more problems to an already over populated earth. One can easily imagine that they are brainwashed by the Vatican. Either that or they miss Ceausescu.

[janeyre-2009]

Oh well, at least the Duggars, aren''t public welfare cases. Are these people self-sufficiant? At least they are in Canada. None of my tax dollars are at work there. I don''t think...

[cbsfan73]

Canada is as bad as France when it comes to public welfare. These people are laughing all the way to the bank.

[formrusmcsgt]

"We never planned how many children to have."

Duh....

[gordy12341]

What is wrong with you people!! You all disgust me with your trite and ignorant comments. Every child is a blessing and should be cherished. You all should be ashamed...where is your human decency. This family clearly loves their children and have every right to have as many children as they like. Anyone who assumes that they- having a large family must automatically be abusing welfare or are social drains are ignorant in every plausible way. I know many large families who are an asset to their communities and who do not need public assistance. You are all drains on our moral and human decency. I would rather 18 children well taught and loved than any one making blanket hateful statements like the one I just read on this post.

[gordy12341]

What is wrong with you people!! You all disgust me with your trite and ignorant comments. Every child is a blessing and should be cherished. You all should be ashamed...where is your human decency. This family clearly loves their children and have every right to have as many children as they like. Anyone who assumes that they- having a large family must automatically be abusing welfare or are social drains are ignorant in every plausible way. I know many large families who are an asset to their communities and who do not need public assistance. You are all drains on our moral and human decency. I would rather 18 children well taught and loved than any one making blanket hateful statements like the one I just read on this post.

[harp1963]

Wow, and I thought my grandfather being the second oldest of fourteen was impressive.

[element51]

Personally I could care less how many kids these people have. As long as they can care for and love them who cares? I would rather see a loving family have a bunch of kids than to see one child born to someone who will mistreat them and show them no love. There is nothing wrong with a big family with lots of love. So get over it. Live and let live.

[cbsfan73]

To: gordy12341
Do you think that the earth was made exclusively for humans? Humans are just one species among millions that have a right to the earth. With all the ecological and environmental nightmares that the BLESSINGS have created, we need to DECREASE the population - not increase it. Anyone who chooses to have 18 kids has no respect for the earth and is totally unaware of their surroundings. The reason why people make such comments is an attempt to wake up the ignorant.
Go read Henry David Thoreau if you have the ability.

[toolmangler-2009]

My Mother was one of 16 and she was born in 1912.
Most of her brothers and sisters are still alive.

[barbaraf4]

In the article, I missed exactly what the father does for a living....

[favrenot]

Makes you want to throw up. There is no way that these parents can spend time with, and raise their children, individually, unless they are independently wealthy. Even at that it is nearly impossible. Animals breed like this. And these children suffer. Grew up with neighbors who had 10 kids. Mom and Dad were non existent. Kids raised each other. It wasn''t pretty. Thankfully "God" and a complete lack of brains has let them continue to proliferate.

[barbaraf4]

"My Mother was one of 16 and she was born in 1912.
Most of her brothers and sisters are still alive." Posted by ToolMangler
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your mother was born during a different era. For one thing, there was no reliable methos of birth control; for another, large families guaranteed that some would survive to the next generation; another, rural families had many children to help with the farm work.

To have 18 children in this day and age is just folly. Even if you can afford them (and who can afford 18 children?), it depleats resources my great, great grandchildren may need someday.

[nothappyatall]

This is totally SICKENING in this day and age with the horrific overpopulation and all of the problems it has brought! These idiots should be spayed and neutered, but like they said

"We just let *** guide our lives, you know.."

YEAH, we KNOW! you freaking idiots just let some Santa Claus in the sky ''guide'' you miserable little lives. Thankfully we dont have ALL of these moron right wings having 20 babies each practicing the ''let nature take its course'' form of intercourse.

[nothappyatall]

What is wrong with you people!! You all disgust me with your trite and ignorant comments. Every child is a blessing and should be cherished

Posted by gordy12341"

No, its whats wrong with YOU??? have you read the freaking news in the past few years about all the freaking PROBLEMS overpopulation is causing this planet as a result of this foolishness?? Everything from food/water/sewage disposal/heathcare/housing/job shortages to global climate change, horrific pollution, stripping the earth of resources/forests/ topsoil/farm land/ clean water/ food/ etc at a phenominal rate, dumping billions of tons of toxic waste, stuffing landfills full of plastics, electronics, killing off and extincting animals, plants, the list goes on. You got it back azzwards- every new mouth this planet has to cope with along with the rest of us already HERE is a dam CURSE!

[nothappyatall]

What is wrong with you people!! You all disgust me with your trite and ignorant comments. Every child is a blessing and should be cherished

Posted by gordy12341"

No, its whats wrong with YOU??? have you read the freaking news in the past few years about all the freaking PROBLEMS overpopulation is causing this planet as a result of this foolishness?? Everything from food/water/sewage disposal/heathcare/housing/job shortages to global climate change, horrific pollution, stripping the earth of resources/forests/ topsoil/farm land/ clean water/ food/ etc at a phenominal rate, dumping billions of tons of toxic waste, stuffing landfills full of plastics, electronics, killing off and extincting animals, plants, the list goes on. You got it back azzwards- every new mouth this planet has to cope with along with the rest of us already HERE is a dam CURSE!

[sistatee-2009]

In the article, I missed exactly what the father does for a living....

Posted by barbaraf4 at 10:39 PM : Jul 26, 2008

Sells Romanian children on the black market.

[cmp271]

Thankfully they are in Canada and not on the US welfare system!! It just proves anyone on the system, anywhere should be limited to two children.

Who is paying for all this? The taxpayers??? How selfish and cunning of them to come to Canada and expect a free ride!!! Make them sweep the streets if need be, or pick up litter to earn the money to support this tribe of unwanted welfare children!!! Send the bill to Romania!!!

[daysrnumbrd]

Yet another couple taking the passage from the bible "...be fruitful and multiply..." literally!

Oh how dangerous religion can be, (any religion), without a proper education!

[cbsfan73]

What if he had met this Romanian doctor?

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Jul04/0,4670,RomaniaSeveredPenis,00.html

[cfin5]

Congratulations Ma''am,....You beat my Grandmother by 2 kids. Would have been by one if one had not died at birth, a little girl, the twin of my Uncle.

All I can say is "Dang!!" The Duggars are getting a run for their money... er kids I guess as the case may be. However, they are being financed by TLC so they can video the religious nuts in their natural habitat.

[xmissile]

What about the impact that 18 kids will have on the environment? Does anyone care about that?

[erasmus81]

"On the plus side, at age 44, menopause is bound to kick in." Posted by hypnotoad72 at 07:53 PM : Jul 26, 2008

She could have at least another 10 years before that happens. That could mean another 5 kids.:)

[erasmus81]

If they aren''t "Canadian citizens", they can''t collect welfare.

[bequialife]

In a world where we are suppose to be water rationing due to not enough rain, driving hybrids because of skyrocketing fuel, recycle everything, and we have families like this whom think this is so cute and funny? An entire subdivision will need to be built for the continuation of this selfish family! How do you even get to know your children when we are suppose to sleep 7-8 hours a day?

[Marie Zarankevich]

Well, at least SOMEBODY has a hobby! -- Must keep her pretty busy, to keep coughing them out like that. -- When DOES she get time to primp, and put makeup on? -- Some folks just get more than they need, and some do not get any. -- Nothing is fair. -- Are they finished yet?

[daysrnumbrd]

Its ironic that an earlier story on CBSnews.com talked about contraception advocates in the Catholic church.

One can assume that this couple is Catholic by the way they describe God and the shear amount of children they have.

How about family photos? Quick!... Someone get a wide-angle lens for the camera!

[daysrnumbrd]

"How about family photos? Quick!... Someone get a wide-angle lens for the camera!"
...........

Actually, that would have to be a panoramic shot!

[husein_pasha]

The Romanians are Orthodox Christians so they can`t be brainwashed by the Vatican. And everybody can have as many children as he wants

[ddaryl1]

How about she stop over populating the earth...

18 children is a completely irresponsible. We can not take care of all the humans on the planet now... People need to smarten up and realize this is not a positive thing

[barbaraf4]

"She could have at least another 10 years before that happens. That could mean another 5 kids.:)" Posted by erasmus81
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do the math. It could be another 13 kids.

[husein_pasha]

Everybody may have as many children as he/ she wants. And most of these people don`t need help.

[barbaraf4]

"Everybody may have as many children as he/ she wants. And most of these people don`t need help."
Posted by Husein_Pasha
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have seen this many times. A woman who reaches maturity with no personal goals, meets a man who thinks the measure of his sperm is the measure of his self-worth. They get married and start having kids. Soon the woman is addicted to the attention she gets while pregnant and the attention she gets for being the mother of such a hugn brood. Soon the older kids are raising the younger kids and mom and dad are free to perpetuate their hobby.

This is a textbook dysfunctional family. Everyone is being affected by mom''s addiction just as surely as if she were an alcoholic.

[husein_pasha]

Barabara, I agree but we don`t know if their family is of this kind

[husein_pasha]

curse, it depends what lifestyle the have had. Make war on the immigration, not of the reproduction.

[husein_pasha]

In the different refions people have differet lifestyles and becausew of the different lifestyles-different number of children.

[husein_pasha]

So if you want to limit the reproduction don`t allow people with such lifestyles to immigrate to your country

[boffo1962]

I can''t imagine the toll a pregnancy at 44 is on the body-- let alone that this is her 18th!

Well, at least this woman is married and has someone to help-- what I have a problem with is single women allowing themselves to be pregnated over and over and over and then expect the government to subsidize their situation. THAT''s irresponsible!

So, for those that are proposing that there should be a limit on how many children a woman should have -- how many children should that number be? Who do you think should determine that?

[nojoy01]

''I have seen this many times. A woman who reaches maturity with no personal goals, meets a man who thinks the measure of his sperm is the measure of his self-worth. They get married and start having kids. Soon the woman is addicted to the attention she gets while pregnant and the attention she gets for being the mother of such a hugn brood. Soon the older kids are raising the younger kids and mom and dad are free to perpetuate their hobby.

This is a textbook dysfunctional family. Everyone is being affected by mom''''s addiction just as surely as if she were an alcoholic.''

Posted by barbaraf4 at 09:24 AM : Jul 27, 2008

And you as a modern, ''liberated'', woman are automatically ruling out that this couple just may be good practicing Catholics who love, cherish, and adore each & everyone of their children. I''m not saying that this couple is catholic or even that you''re wrong. what I am saying is that you''re practicing armchair psychological horse manure with no contact & no insight into this family''s dynamics. Now, if you had said that it was a possibility or even a probability that such was the case, I wouldn''t have any reason/complaint to comment. But don''t sit there on your self constructed throne of moral superiorty & claim to know the answer w/o any information other than the number of children they have.

[nojoy01]

''So, for those that are proposing that there should be a limit on how many children a woman should have -- how many children should that number be? Who do you think should determine that?''

Posted by boffo1962 at 10:36 AM : Jul 27, 2008

My suggestion, boffo1962, is to let them establish a committee, tell the committee members that whatever recommendation they make will be enacted into law. We will include one each of every race, every religion, and every socio-economic class, close the door, and let them start deliberation. I betcha we never hear from them again. :))

[barbaraf4]

"So, for those that are proposing that there should be a limit on how many children a woman should have -- how many children should that number be? Who do you think should determine that?" Posted by boffo1962
~~~~~~~~~
It has been a lot of years, but if I remember correctly, the Catholic Church''s position is that a healthy woman, in her lifetime, can have 19 children.

This nonsense dates back to when the Priests would go out and convert the unwashed masses. Since it is a rule that if you are born to a Catholic parent (either or both), then you are automatically Catholic - and so on through the generations, the way the third world was populated by Catholics was the rule about no birth control. Lots of Catholics having lots more Catholics.

[keithle1]

Give her uterus a break. I bet she''s a very, very intelligent woman. Three Phd''s.

"It''s God''s will. When God tells me to use a condom or my wife to tie her tubes then she will. Until then we''ll carry on. It doesn''t cost any more to raise 18 kids than it does to raise two. God will provide. He always has. Money will float down magically from the sky. I''m so proud of my wife. It takes a lot of skill to have 18 kids. Not everyone can do it."