Big Backlash Hits Octuplets Mom

(CBS)  Police in Los Angeles said today they're investigating death threats against Nadya Suleman, the mother of the octuplets. There's a growing backlash against her from people who resent that she's now given birth to 14 children through in-vitro fertilization while accepting public assistance to raise them. CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes reports.

---

Nadya Suleman's octuplets are thriving, but anger is growing about how much it will cost to care for them. Taxpayers could have to pay for some of her hospital costs, which could run up to $1 million.

"We're doing a bailout and I think it's just outrageous," said Sherrie Rodriguez.

A family Web site was created to solicit outside donations. But they're also getting death threats, said her publicist in a radio interview.

"They refer to ripping out her uterus to running over her with automobiles or trucks," said publicist Michael Furtney on KNX radio.

Suleman now admits she gets $490 in food stamps and federal assistance for her three disabled children every month. She's already $50,000 in debt from student loans.

"I so look forward to the day when I'm not getting any kind of help with food stamps, which I believe will end right when I graduate," she said.

Suleman says she had six fertilized embryos implanted for each of her pregnancies. That's far more than professional guidelines, recommending no more than two for a woman younger than 35.

The fertility doctor who she says performed all the in-vitro fertilizations for her 14 children, Dr. Michael Kamrava, isn't talking.

Today there were reports he did in-vitro fertilization on a 49-year old woman now pregnant with quadruplets.

In the past decade, the percentage of births involving triplets or more has actually declined by five percent.

"As the IVF laboratory conditions have improved and our ability to select the proper embryos has improved, we have been able to transfer fewer embryos and still have higher pregnancy rates," said Dr. Karine Chung of USC.

Especially in California, with the country's highest concentration of fertility doctors, some say there is pressure on doctors to implant multiples to inflate their statistics.

Experts say America needs legal restrictions, like some European countries have.

"I really do think we need laws setting limits on the number of embryos implanted," said law professor Lori Andrews.

Chung added: "The difficult part on putting restrictions on the number of embryos transferred is that it will limit the ability of the physician and the couple to individualize the care."

But it's how to care for these 14 children that has so many concerned right now.

[toolmangler-2009]

Littering is for animals, women should never ''Litter''.

[andie52]

copy and paste this into any search engine; lots to read about Nadya Suleman. if you support her and her actions you may change your mind after reading all of this info:


2009/02/who-should-and-will-pay.html

[yongamerica]

The best thing for this situation is for child services to intervene. Her children should be placed up for adoption so they''ll no longer be exploited and have parents that can focus on them and not 13 other siblings.

This woman needs intensive psychiatric care.

[ellekat]

The people who are criticizing her are shameful! My mother was at a meeting with a bunch of students from Vietnam. All the Americans were criticizing this mother and when they asked the Vietnamese students what they thought they said, "Aren''t people free in America?". Some people nowadays seem to want mandatory abortions for women with a lot of children. Maybe you don''t approve of what this lady did, but you should not be hateful when expressing your opinion.

[deadmaverick]

its a shame that someone can make a hobby out of having children at taxpayers expense...this woman needs to have her head examined

[andie52]

%u201CDespite having no job, Nadya can afford to pay a nanny around $500 a week to look after the older kids Monday through Friday. %u201CShe works overtime and doesn%u2019t ask for more money. She does 12-hour days,%u201D

Not that I really believe anything that comes out of that woman%u2019s cosmetically enhanced blubber lips but it makes interesting reading in the check out line of the grocery store. It%u2019s unfortunate that she is allowed to continue to ask for donations from her cutesy website when she is out buying expensive video games. How someone as mentally ill could work her way through the system as she has amazes me.

I hope an agency steps in and takes those babies away and then prosecutes her and her so called fertility specialist for fraud%u2026

She may say she%u2019s done having children but it%u2019s likely she may try this stunt again. I guess the taxpayers in California have deep pockets as well as the government.

[gosukabug]

Let the churches which promote irresponsible breeding of gross amounts of children step up to the plate and take responsibility of their welfare. This *** is NOT what I pay taxes for!

[Meg003]

What is troubling to me is to see our government continue to support irresponsible child-bearing. The stimulus bill gives poor parents of three or more children special financial benefits.

Those children are in need, but it is a shame that poor parents who chose sterilization after two babies are not given special financial benefits for acting responsibly.

[Meg003]

Kief25

I''m not saying they are not out there, but I have NEVER heard a minister who supported in-vitro fertilization. Several ministers I know do support adoption, but not artificial insemination or in-vitro fertilization.

[mytoosense]

Having any children in todays world is a mildly selfish act.

Replace the word "mildly" with "extremely" concerning this women.