I watched your show a couple of times. I was completely mesmerized because of your unusual circumstances. Having twins, followed by sextuplets is indeed an accomplishment (as shown below).
32.1 twin births occur per every 1,000 total live births
1.533 triplet or higher order birth occur per every 1,000 total live births
In 2006, 143,625 live multiple birth babies were born in the United States:
137,085 Twins
6,118 Triplets
355 Quadruplets
67 Quintuplets and Above
However, my question to you is, what were you thinking when you decided to allow 6 births at once, following the birth of your twins? You really took a chance on health issues with your babies. Note the following statistics from Wikpedia:
I am assuming that your sextuplets are in good health. In my research, I did not find anything to tell me otherwise. However, some parents are not so lucky and the odds fall against them. Fox news, June 27, 2007 cites this example:
In regard to the births of sets of sextuplets in Minnesota and Arizona; four of the six babies born June 10 to a Minnesota mother have died, and the others are in critical condition. In Arizona, the mother was treated for acute heart failure after giving birth.
"I think that these instances give the whole question of fertility treatment a black eye because the results are so tragic, and the costs are so enormous," said Dr. Theodore Nagel, a reproductive endocrinologist at the University of Minnesota June 27, 2007, Fox News.
Then, there is the question of the mental health of your children, Jon and Kate. Do you really realize what you are doing to these kids? Some would even say it is child abuse. This is what Dr. Keith Ablow, a psychiatry correspondent for Fox News Channel and a New York best-selling author had to say:
That's why Jon and Kate aren't just a bad idea for one another; they also shouldn't be raising children. Hijacking your sons' and daughters' lives and casting them as ready-for-TV versions of themselves while "playing" their parents is a new form of child neglect or abuse. It's bad enough when stage mothers and fathers commandeer their kids' existences to fulfill their own narcissistic desires to be stars. Turning life into a stage is even worse. If nothing else, at least there's a videotaped record of the psychological assault on these children for them to refer back to with their psychiatrists later in life.
Here's the real reality: The eight kids need a guardian ad litem - a substitute parent appointed by the courts - to assess them and protect them from psychological harm. Now is the perfect moment for the state to insist on it, in the context of a divorce that won't be simple and amicable, unless that kind of split seems like it would "rate" better than a knock-down, drag-out fight.
Jon and Kate, who paid for the birth of your children,
The cost for a cesarean delivery of septuplets could be around $175,000, per Most on Line) and who will be footing the bill for rearing them, once your 15-minute claim to fame is over. Have you heard how much it is going to cost?
I guess you now realize how much money it will take to give these kids a fair chance in life: (a middle-class family can expect to spend at least $64,000 on housing, food, clothing, transportation, health, education and other expenses for septuplets during the first year, more if their infants were born very prematurely. (This would include over $6000 in diapers alone.)* From Most on Line
Now that these sextuplets are here, I want them to have the best. They are innocent and beautiful children. This letter is in no way a cut at them. In fact, it is because of them that I write this letter to you.
Get over yourself. Just because you decided to have sextuplets, it doesn't mean the world owes you money or fame.
I am not foolish enough to believe that this letter will keep you from continuously going on television for interviews or seeking fame in other television programs.
I end this letter with this quote:
Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings. Only one thing endures and that is character. Horace Greely, An American newspaper Editor who is know especially for his articulation of the North's vigorous antislavery sentiments during the 1850's (1811-1872)
A more modern thought from Oprah Winfrey is: If you come to fame not understanding who you are, if will define who you are.
Sincerely,
A fan of your precious children.
Francine Larson:
Co-Author of Character Keys to a Bright Future.
She is currently writing for The Pasco Shopper (Fl.) and The Highlands at Scotland Yards. Also writes poetry and short stories.She has a new personal web site:http://thedragonflylady.com/
Great article. You are expressing what many of us 'out there' feel. I've only watched the program a couple of times and found it to be very disturbing. The children deserve better than this. The parents have obviously taken advantage of the 'stardom'! I hope Kate reads your article and at least will ponder it.
You have taken too many unrelated issues and put them together in a way that detracts from the most important point of your article. The issue of aborting fetuses is a different topic from the thrust of your argument here. Jon and Kate kept the fetuses for religious beliefs trusting God for the outcome. I can't fault them for that because I am against abortion. Perhaps that is the one thing they did do right. Their claim to fame was from their television show, not from having so many children. So I agree with you that putting their children on TV for money is not a wise decision--in fact, probably harmful. Nevertheless, as a result, they have amassed a fortune which will adequately pay for their children's care, medical expenses, and education, so accusing them of burdening society with huge medical expenses probably isn't a true statement. I don't think they would ever claim they are owed money or fame by the world. That happened because people are who they are -- curious and nosey, and in my Christian worldview, sinners. People need to get a life, spend time with their own families, and quit worrying about this dynfunctional couple who have lost sight of what is important. Certainly the glamour and fame has taken them away from their first love -- at least Kate claimed it was in her book -- her personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If they would renew their vows to each other and return to their faith, it would be the best thing for their children. Their children need to be removed from the public eye and raised by parents who care more for their welfare and less about what the media or other people say. The bottom line is their testimony has been destroyed, and in the end, if they don't turn it around, so will their kids. I think your article would be better served by focusing on the damage Jon and Kate are causing to their children rather than bringing up the controversial topic of aborting fetuses, healthcare costs that they can afford to pay, and quoting others' view of the definition of fame. They need to be convicted in their hearts: If they love their children, they will work on their relationship with each other -- out of the public eye, and seek professional help to put their lives back together. You are right -- their children deserve better.
I am totally against abortion. I did not mean to imply that she should have done that. I am only stating facts. Usually, the children of multiple births do have physical problems. I just think the whole thing about fertility is perhaps getting away from what is natural and what is "God given." I wonder if humans are meant to give birth to that many babies at once?
Fran, I agree with you -- we weren't made to have "litters." Indeed, when you think about the fact that there are 150 million orphans in the world, why not choose adoption? My two daughters were adopted from Vietnam and Nepal and I would much prefer for people to adopt versus going through fertility treatments and creating multiple fertilized eggs. To destroy an egg is to destroy a life, and yet not to destroy extra fetilized eggs creates huge health risks for both the mother and the babies. Of course, it's' hard to convince people to adopt when they believe they can only love a biological child. It's a heart issue.
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