Octo-profit-mom: Why the wait? Now is the time to consider octuplets' future

Not sure if there is a real need to think twice about what kind of protection this nation really provides to children who are facing lives with less-than-competent parents?

Been wondering why so many children end up right back in homes of abuse and neglect?

Then just take a look at Nadya Suleman -- the mother who used fertility treatments to get pregnant again -- even though she already had six children she was raising by herself in less than optimal conditions.

Why in the world hasn't action been taken already to make sure these children will be in homes that can provide better lives for them when their mother obviously has a screw loose?

The answer is two-fold.

First, anyone with the necessary parts can have a child in this country -- no matter what her history, her background, her ability to care for them or her past resume as a parent.

So, there was no way, really, to stop Suleman from having children if she wanted them.

And once a child is born, getting him or her away from his or her mother is almost impossible. The courts favor birth mothers.

And there is the real problem with parents like Suleman -- the law really only protects them, not the best interest of the children they produce.

As Suleman makes the TV circuit, essentially selling her children's story for a profit, perhaps now is the time to start a discussion about the most effective way to protect children from parents who do not seem to understand what caring for a child requires.

It won't fix the problem immediately, but it just might prevent another octo-tragedy.

Published in Editorials on March 12, 2009 10:40 AM