Multiple births and multiple deaths.

[kitchenwitch]

Two out of the six Morrison sextuplets have died.

In the case of the Morrison family (the sextuplets born in Minnesota), six eggs were fertilized after using the drug Follistim. (According to the Morrison family website, the doctors said two mature and two immature/nonviable eggs would be released during that particular cycle, but later said that

Comments

[merlyn4401]

These questions make me so angry I can hardly see straight.

No, they should not be charged with a crime. How does that work? "We're going to prosecute you because you didn't kill some of your babies when we told you to?" Every parent has the right to decide which path to take in this situation. I'm fairly well sure that they knew they weer possibly risking the lives of some of the babies by trying to carry all of them to term, but they chose to give all of them a chance, rather than "play God" and selectively reduce. I have nothing but respect for them that they chose that route.

As others have pointed out, many other sets of higher order multiples have been born alive, healthy, and with little to no problems. They weighed the odds, and unfortunately, came out on the short end. That's not a crime, by any means. My heart breaks for them that they have lost two of their precious babies.

[aerynmoo]

I <3 you. And I totally agree.

[kitchenwitch]

Sorry to make you angry! I was curious about others' opinions, as this question seems to be asked about everything, i.e., "This woman gave her kid Spaghettios and he DIED, should she be held responsible?" :)

rather than "play God" and selectively reduce

Weren't they playing God to begin with?

[merlyn4401]

I just really hate the superior, "This isn't what *I* would do, so obviously they are stupid and should be blamed for everything" attitude that shows up about legitimate parenting choices. A kid dies from tainted formula and someone is bound to say the parents are responsible because they should have breastfed. A child dies from a vaccine reaction and someone is going to say the parents deserve it for choosing to vaccinate their children. A child dies from a botched circumcision and the parents are to blame. I've had my fill, I guess.

And no, I don't feel they were playing God. As far as they are concerned, God allowed that many eggs to be fertilized and lives created.

[bestdaywelived]

I'm not religious, so maybe I don't get it ... but isn't using fertility drugs in an attempt to circumvent nature also "playing God"?

[merlyn4401]

No. All fertility drugs do is increase the possibility of fertilization. It doesn't create life. The Catholic Chruch, for example, is against IVF because that IS taking the sperm and egg out of the womb and creating a life - playing God. But they are supportive of fertility drugs because it's just increasing the odds and keeping fertilizxation within the human body.

[failstoexist]

I think that if you decide to take fertility medications, you are playing god in a different way...if you were just going to do what god wanted you to do with regard to your fertility, you would probably never use IVF or fertility medication, and I know there are people who hold that belief...I don't think you can say "i don't want to play god" as a reason...saying "i don't think it's right to selectively reduce" or "I could never pick between my fetuses" or whatever...sure. But you've already played god--playing god again shouldn't be the issue there, no matter whether you want to selectively reduce or not.

[merlyn4401]

The theology behind it can get very complicated. There are theologians who do nothing but argue where the line is on this stuff. There certainly isn't a cut and dried answer among Christians.

Many people look at fertility meds as fixing a problem that prevents them from getting pregnant. It doesn't take it out of God's hands - thousands of women take fertility meds and still don't get pregnant.

[failstoexist]

I think that's equating infertility to an actual problem that's harming you, something you *need* medication to fix so you can live and be healthy...Infertility may be devastating and it may change your plans quite a bit, but it isn't fatal.

I tend to see infertility as something that is your body chemistry/structure's way of telling you that your body can't handle a baby. there's got to be some biological basis for it. maybe your genes are a bad combination with your partner's and there are multiple very early miscarriages happening because of some incompatibilities/increased risk for genetic problems. but leaving god out of it, I don't think that it's a great idea to introduce drugs and technology into your getting-pregnant process. it's just the beginning of the totally unnatural way we live.

[merlyn4401]

There are thousands of women who use fertility drugs who then safely carry a healthy baby to term. Your ability to GET pregnant has nothing to do with your body's ability to handle a baby. Look at the opposite side of the coin - women who can get pregnant at the drop of a hat but miscarry by 6-10 weeks every time. They are not the same process.

The only thing that fertility drugs do is increase the chances for fertilization. It has nothing to do with genetic disorders, or uterine hospitality, or anything like that. It just increases the chances of sperm and egg meeting.

[kitchenwitch]

Yeah, that's how I see it. If you're gonna play God, might as well do it all the way! ;) It doesn't make sense to me to think that God created fertility drugs, but he didn't create abortion (I think that came up in the last discussion about multiples).

I don't like seeing God being used as a way to absolve oneself of any responsibility. After all, if you decide to not reduce because God will take care of things, you don't have to feel guilty if it doesn't work out the way you want it to because it's God's will, right?

[greatestislove]

fertility drugs = life
abortion = death

pretty big difference as far as christian churches are concerned.

[kitchenwitch]

But God created death! Just because we don't like it doesn't mean it's not created by God, regardless of what Christian churches say. :)

[velvetpage]

Um, nope. Bad theology, there. According to Christian theology, death came into the world with sin, and it is by definition a perversion of God's plan.

[velvetpage]

I'm pretty sure that is not the way it was explained to me, but I'm an armchair theologian at best, and it's been a while, so I'm willing to admit I may have it wrong.