The discussion topic for March is “Octomom Drama.” Before the
octuplet mom, Nadya Suleman, even left the hospital, the whole country
had gone from “Gee whiz!” to “Are you kidding?”
What was originally heralded as a medical miracle is now an ethical morass:
Nadya, 33 and single, already had six children and all 14 children were
conceived using a sperm donor. Nadya is currently unemployed. She can’t
work because her back was injured on the job, during a 1999 mental-hospital
riot, for which she’s collected $168,000 in disability payments.
In a recent network television interview, Nadya said she’s always
dreamed of having “a large family, a huge family,” perhaps
due to a “dysfunctional” upbringing as an only child.
Also to be addressed in this discussion is the medical ethics of implanting
six fertilized eggs. Some medical experts were disturbed to hear that
Nadya was offered fertility treatment by Dr. Michael Kamrava and troubled
that she was implanted with so many embryos. Premature birth, which is
virtually inevitable when a woman carries several babies, can have severe
health consequences, including respiratory problems, developmental delays,
gastrointestinal disorders, and conditions such as cerebral palsy. Nadya’s
babies were born at 30 weeks, almost nine weeks early. Among the issues
that may be discussed at this session include the following: How many
are too many children? What responsibility does the doctor have who implanted
the fertilized eggs? Whose responsibility is it to provide for these children
when Nadya clearly cannot at this time? Should the fertility doctor lose
his privilege to practice?
A free lunch will be served to those who register no later than Tuesday,
March 17, 2009 by calling Glenda Fowler at 828/326-3365.
Catawba Valley Medical Center’s Department of Organizational Learning
is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the North Carolina
Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing
Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Completion of this activity
provides 1.0 contact hour.
Catawba Valley Medical Center is a not-for-profit, public healthcare system
providing and promoting the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual
well-being of the public in addition to serving as a center for health
education, wellness services, preventative medicine and acute care. CVMC,
twice recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Magnet
facility, was recently named as a “Distinguished Hospital for An
Outstanding InPatient Experience” by J.D. Power and Associates as
well as a Hospital of Choice by the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers.