Are Octuplets' Mom, Doctor Unethical?

(CBS)  A beaming mother and her eight new babies are raising critical questions about the ethics of embryo implants. Nadya Suleman gave birth last month to octuplets. She already had six children. In light of the controversy, CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes reports on the clinic, the doctor, and who should say enough.

While a medical team of 56 proudly announced their arrival, many have wondered what doctor would implant so many embryos in the mother in the first place. Today Suleman revealed she was treated at the West Coast fertility clinic in Beverly Hills run by Dr. Michael Kamrava,

Three years ago, Suleman was interviewed at Dr. Kamrava's office describing how easily in vitro fertilization (IVF) worked for her.

"It was a miracle," she said. "It happened right away. It worked the very first time."

Today, she told a different story.

"There is a very low probability of success in most procedures," Suleman said. "And on any given procedure one will grow maybe less so the most I would have ever anticipated would have been twins, it wasn't twins times four."

The California medical board says it is investigating the doctor who implanted Suleman - though Dr. Kamrava has not been named. The penalty ranges from reprimand to license revocation. While there is little legal oversight of IVF clinics, experts say there is a code of ethics.

"Very few physicians would put in more than two or three embryos in at one time especially (in a woman) under 40, especially with someone who has six children," says Dr. Peter Weiss, a fertility specialist.

In a recent online interview Suleman's mother complained she's been responsible for taking care of the six other children.

"To have them all is unconscionable to me," Angela Suleman said in the interview. "She really, really has no idea what she's doing to her children and to me."

And Suleman's mother isn't the only one getting the short end of the stick, according to a prominent bioethicist.

"Society is getting stuck with the bill when she made this choice to be an infertility patient," says Dr. Art Caplan, a bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania. "It is more than her interests. It affects her kids and it affects the rest of us."

That's something many question whether this young mother comprehends.
By Sandra Hughes

[lauralc3]

Why are so many people having problems with this? Granted she went too far to say the least. Why the death threats? I''d rather pay for 14 American children than all the illegal aliens coming into our country every day, especially in California!! The nut cases out there are the ones making the threats!! I come from a very large family, and its been a blessing to have all my siblings. There are a lot of more important things happening in this world to worry about one woman and her 14 children.

[workinggal1]

How is she paying for the in vetro procedures?

Some married couples(who desperately want children) can''t afford this...many regular medical insurance policies don''t pay for fertility procedures!!

[brainteaser2]

Bethany Billups: Well Bethany you better get started soon. If your going to have 14 kids (without multiple births) you could get too old before your finished.

[janie_super]

the doctors are doing this for publicity and business, and that is unethical. this woman is a human breeding factory when our world population may in fact be the cause of the end of our planet, and that is unethcial. this woman put herself and her 6 children as well as her octuplets health at risk, and that is unethical... she is taking much more of her fair share of monetary aide, more than her taxes will ever pay for.. unethcial unethical unethcial!!

[janie_super]

Bethany, you need to keep reading because you obviously dont know the whole story. Nadya isnt raising them by herself, her parents are breaking their backs to help her. This woman doesnt have a job and is going back to school but will be collecting money from loans, food stamps and disability. she isnt doing it by herself. If you think you can do it by yourself you will find very quickly that you can''t do it without other peoples help. If you dont have people to help you, you will end up in a homeless shelter and they will take the kids away. want to risk it??

[cdegolier]

My name is Bethany Billups and I''''m 15 years old. I''''m currently a tenth student at Bergen Catholic. I''''m writing to you to say how Nadya Suleman is an inspiration to all young women around the world! She is raising a family of 14 now all by herself and following her dream to have a big family. I wish to have a big family like that one day soon as well, and she has inspired me to start trying! If she can raise 14 by herself with no one to help, than I don''''t see why anyone else can''''t do it either!

Sincerely,

Bethany Billups

Unfortunately Bethany the point is she is not raising them by herself, she is not capable to raise them by herself emotionally or financially. The taxpayers of the State of California (already in debt) are not only footing the bill for the hospital but the lifetime care of these children. The point is people need to take responsibility for their own actions. If you can''t afford the six children you already have, do not have anymore.

[bbillups77]

My name is Bethany Billups and I''m 15 years old. I''m currently a tenth student at Bergen Catholic. I''m writing to you to say how Nadya Suleman is an inspiration to all young women around the world! She is raising a family of 14 now all by herself and following her dream to have a big family. I wish to have a big family like that one day soon as well, and she has inspired me to start trying! If she can raise 14 by herself with no one to help, than I don''t see why anyone else can''t do it either!

Sincerely,

Bethany Billups

[nativewoman]

Posted by IndependentI at 12:07 AM : Feb 12, 2009

I don''t see anyone stating whether they are conservatives or liberals here.

How are you making that determination and attributing calls for sterilization, etc. to ultra-liberals?

[rainynurse]

I am sorry to be a California resident for the first time in my life.
While teacher''s,police,and other honest workers are beig laid off, we have this NUT and her 14 kids to support.I think we as CA res. should have this nut "safely hidden" in a mental facilty so we don''t have to pay for her HOTEL bills,too!
She has a long history of depresion,but I think both she AND that idiot DR. that complied with her wish to continue as an incubator,should both be prosecuted.
I have contacted the Gov.in outrage also. I have always been a humanitarian,but THIS IS THE LIMIT!!!!
The State of CA should freeze the DR.''s assets and make him pay for his fraud and mal-practice. Let HIM pay for the mess he help create, not us taxpayers.
SHE should truly be put in a mental institution,and have those kids removed ASAP.
Thank-you

[jkjkz333777]

Part Two:

As for the mother who had eight other children by the same father, I can''t say anything about that. Is it irresponsible? I think so. Is she going to be on welfare for her children? Probably because there would be no one job (or more) that would pay her enough money to keep fourteen children on insurance. Will she be overwhelmed by all those children? Most likely. Will her parents be helping her out? That is up to her parents and if they don''t approve of all the kids she has had and doesn''t want to baby-sit them, then they have to put their foot down and say no. It may not be easy but they can say it, I know they can. In fact as a parent I know they have done so more than once. Was the doctor unethical? Most likely but there is nothing that anyone can do about the situation. We can''t change it so we should stop b!tch!ng at her and just get on with our lives. We can''t make her not have children because of women''s reproductive rights and stewing about it is only going to make us madder. I think that if we don''t pay attention to everything that is going on then things will die down for her. If it''s attention she craves we are giving it to her by making such a fuss over her actions.