Judging Octomom (Ethics of in Vitro Fertilization) (Essay‪)‬

When Nadya Suleman gave birth to eight babies in January 2009, the story ignited a media frenzy--first because the babies were only the second set of octuplets born in the United States, and later because of the irregularities of their conception by in vitro fertilization and the personal details of their mother's life. Hidden beneath the sensational aspects of the story, though, are a number of fundamental ethical, medical, and legal issues concerning assisted reproductive technologies. Three essays examine these questions. Just over a week after her eight babies were delivered by caesarean section in a California hospital, Nadya Suleman explained to an NBC reporter that her extraordinary pregnancy was the result of in vitro fertilization. Having conceived her first six children--four singletons and one set of twins--using IVF, Suleman said she visited her fertility doctor in 2008 and insisted that he transfer all of her six remaining frozen embryos at once. After warning her of the risks associated with a multiple birth, he'd done as she asked. All six embryos implanted, and two divided to create twins.