Those that have children, should have greatest care

"Yet it were great reason that those that have children, should have greatest care of future times; unto which they know they must transmit their dearest pledges." - Francis Bacon

A news story struck my mind like a blow yesterday. NPR reported that octuplets had been born in the Los Angeles area. The delivering physician reported, in a haze of euphoria, the careful and effective planning that it took to get eight pre-term babies processed simultaneously in his hospital. There was a crew of 46 marshalled for the deliveries, which were 9 weeks premature.

My husband and I, enroute to work, were aghast. Eight children at one fell swoop - three of which are not yet breathing without assistance, and all eight of which weighed two pounds or less at birth. Think of what it's going to cost to get those eight babies home. How much does it cost to keep a premie for a couple of weeks (minimum) at the hospital? Multiply that by eight.

Although it was mentioned that fertility drugs were involved in the pregnancy, no explanation was given as to why there wasn't the (typical) selective reduction of embryos. Why were eight implanted? Lots of details missing here, but the overall joy and exuberant enthusiasm expressed by the delivery doctor was, in my opinion, misplaced. Everyone loves babies. No denial there! They are miraculous. BUT...if you really love the CHILDREN...not just the babies, but the CHILDREN that they become...they are better off in a situation where they have enough resources, enough attention, and maybe a chance at going to full term in the uterus.

Then, today more information came out: the mother lives with her parents in a 3-bedroom house in Whittier, and ALREADY HAS SIX CHILDREN. Here's a link to the news story: LINK

This whole situation is horrifying. One person made a comment which I thought was incisive - asking that the news media follow up on this story in a couple of year's time, and see just how these 14 kids are doing in that three-bedroom house.

The babies are faultless. It's the parent's actions that are reprehensible.

GREAT article...great clarity. "Treading on a Taboo" by Jack Hart

I read an article that populationpress.org has on its website. It is a GEM! Written by a former managing editor of the Oregonian newspaper, Jack Hart, it is a wonderful logical overview of the taboo and the root problem. Here's the link:
http://www.populationpress.org/publication/2008-3-hart.html

Knuckle Down

Here am I - someone who is convinced of the importance of reduced, stabilized, sustainable population for our survival - yet it is very, very difficult to get myself to keep a sustained, ongoing focus on the subject.

I need to learn and read all I can about it, in order to see as deeply into all aspects of the problem that I can...but I find myself, like the majority of other humans, going about my daily life, becoming entranced by cultural memes, paying attention to the needs of the moment and allowing myself to read fiction rather than the non-fiction material that I need to study this issue.

If a person who is convinced of the importance has this much trouble looking at it...how much more of a challenge will it be to get the people who have never thought about it, or would rather not think about it, or who are vaguely, emotionally opposed to negative population growth...to take a good long look at it and allow themselves to think it through?

I have a stack of 15 books, at least...waiting to be read...I'm not spending enough time on this. My hair is on fire, and I'm just humming and going about my business as if it isn't burning. Come on, woman, snap out of it!

The euphoria of the election, which injected the 2008 holidays with extra joy for me, has been very satisfactorily concluded with a corking inauguration. Now, like President Obama, I need to knuckle down. Knuckle down!