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.

[gaye5]

pmalsp and httpwwwnews, sorry guys, I meant that the earth is now full of people,, toooo many people, we cant keep growing in numbers, see what happens to other life when it becomes out numbered...

[toldyouso12]

God give us a brain to use it in thinking about our lives , in these days it''''s a big mistake having this number of kids, people in other parts of the world can''''t have enough food or water to live

Posted by new_koki at 02:38 PM : Jul 28, 2008


On the other hand, her not breeding will not give anyone on the other side of the world more water or food to live--it just does not work like that. There are many reasons having so many children is irresponsible--but we can save the overpop stance--the reason being is that we do not send our excess to these countries anyway--and more Americans throw away more food than many people see all week. If this woman stopped breeding, no food from her home or store would go to those countries--so it is not relevant for this argument--it only sounds good for those who care about the environ/eco/anthro connection.

[toldyouso12]

Posted by cfin5 at 08:58 AM : Jul 28, 2008


That is YOUR story--but it is not the only story. I have large families on both sides. They speak of the young having to raise their siblings and never having a childhood, of going without, of things happening in and around the family that you can''t imagine and of people dying due to diseases like the flu. Science have long ago established that the families and animals most likely to have the most offspring are those facing the most adversity. See, the physiological nature of humans and viruses and animals is to reproduce like crazy when in an adverse environment in the hopes that some might survive. Romania--land of the gypsies--driven out and killed a lot by pogroms--all over Europe. Mexicans.... Indians in Asia what they have in common is the need for cheap labor, if boys--look forward to money from a dowry--if girls--sell them off--boys can work in the fields--the problem is, what genetics may put into place for good reason, does not shut off when people immigrate and no longer need to be baby factories.

[toldyouso12]

There should be a limit of how many children people have as the earth is in jeopardy because of the large human population - all wanting to live with proper shelter, food, water etc. It is totally irresponsible for anyone to have a large family today. Two children are plenty. You cannot tell me that God wanted us to be fruitful and multiply until there was no room for any of his other creatures to survive.

I really resent the press glamorizing this irresponsible, ignorant couple.

Posted by jbright9 at 11:40 AM : Jul 27, 2008


It does not matter--our wars, diseases and famine, will bring back some semblance of equilibrium--it is God''s will to have them and evidently God''s will for some of them to suffer excruciating horrors briefly, then exit the earth. Right Iraq war lovers?

[toldyouso12]

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?

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


Now if he divorces her...

[toldyouso12]

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:

Posted by hypnotoad72 at 07:53 PM : Jul 26, 2008


Actually menopause (not perimenopause) kicks it around age 54 to age 56, until it does, she can still have kids.

[displeased]

cfin5, call me what you want, but I just think we should stop providing incentives to have children and make people pay some sort of child tax instead. Too bad you self centered people can''t see how our over-development and habitat destruction indirectly affects humans. You can only see within your tiny world.

[cfin5]

displeased,.... What''s the matter? Hasn''t the culling out of 50 million little boys and girls through abortion quite enough for you? And that''s just in this nation since 1973! You value a tree more than a child? You blame the effects of all your hippy "free love" immorality your kind has taught children in school to engage in,.....then turn around and heave all the blame on a woman who desires a large family. What a bad joke! The ONLY good thing I can think of thats gonna happen in the future to you bloodthirsty population control GLOBALISTS is that your kind will simply die out, leaving us be in more peace with your absence.

[displeased]

In all, those kids payed more taxes and bought more cars, provided more "ECONOMIC TORQUE" for our country than several families put together......
Posted by cfin5

And they''re consuming more resources and causing the destruction of more habitat to provide them more space. Why can''t people realize overpopulation is not something we should reward and should be proud of?

[violets4me]

Holy Batman!!!! I would never ever want that many children. Some can do it, but not me.

[new_koki]

God give us a brain to use it in thinking about our lives , in these days it''s a big mistake having this number of kids, people in other parts of the world can''t have enough food or water to live

[forrestlayne]

Doesn''t a woman have a choice to do with her body as she wishes?
Hmm..that only applies to abortion.

[ajaxrose1]

Live and let live. Don''t judge these people. As long as they''re caring for them, what do you care?

[navyjimfl]

these people are simply irresponsible......simple minded....."God"....plain silliness......

[eggy1620]

I bet by now they just fall out. Posted by lazareth

LOL. That image from %u201CThe Meaning of Life%u201D won%u2019t leave my head! Nor will that song!

[shuggie55]

what''s the big deal?? so what! these people have 18 children - who really cares!!!!

[cfin5]

Some here have this TV news mind set that folks with this amount of children sit around and soak up welfare money and bytch for more. Not so with mine, the stories I''ve heard my whole life are consistent to the contrary. They grew everything their dirt would grow, spent hours and hours as young children picking potato bugs off and putting them in a pale with some coal oil in it. Usually at every meal there was a 16 quart pot involved in there somewhere. Wasn''t no dinner bell, if you were slack at mealtime, no body at the table would be to upset that they now had more to eat. They canned everything they could set back for bad winter times when the roads would be closed for a week or more. Hand-me-downs were something to put dibs on. Though they rarely had things new, they were always clean and their faces shiny. Though Grandma did get some Social Security after Grandpa died, the elder children who married off always returned with willing hands to help where needed, even whoopin'' some kids ornery attitude out of them at times. In all, those kids payed more taxes and bought more cars, provided more "ECONOMIC TORQUE" for our country than several families put together.......Do not lecture me against the strength of a large family. Many of you here couldn''t manage the problems of a single child let alone a platoon of them.

[cbsfan73]

I still haven''t heard why all you breeders out there cannot adopt from the millions of homeless and staving children. For such Godly people, you sure are ignoring this problem. Out of sight is out of mind.

Wait a minute, how did all those children end up like that anyway? Did God''s be fruitful and multiply policy cause it? Or was it simply excessive breeding?

[gaye5]

pmalsp and httpwwwnews those are excellent points, God has given us free will and the earth is not full of people...

[scully152]

Social, When you say things like "stop spreading your legs, YES you ARE in fact blaming the woman. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"to barbaraf4 - did i say it was her fault or the dude''''s fault? did i? did i? before you start blaming me - read what people are saying. you are an idiot
Posted by sociald63 at 07:23 PM : Jul 27, 2008 ~~ "hey lady - stop spreading your legs and watch tv or read a book instead - gimme a break" Posted by sociald63 ~~ Like it is entirely the female''''s fault.
Posted by barbaraf4 at 06:22 PM : Jul 27, 2008"