Mom delivers 16th child, thinking of more

[Danieljay]

Ok, I'm bothered by this, but should I be if they can afford to take care of them? I personally think its irresponsible, environmentally selfish, and driven by fundamentalist beliefs of "being fruitful and multiplying". Fine when the planet only has a million people, but with 6 billion and limited resources...I'm not so sure.




The baby's father, Jim Bob Duggar, a former state representative, said Wednesday that mother and child were doing well. Johannah's birth was especially exciting because it was the first time in eight years the family has had a girl, he said.

Jim Bob Duggar, 40, said he and Michelle, 39, want more children.

"We both just love children and we consider each a blessing from the Lord. I have asked Michelle if she wants more and she said yes, if the Lord wants to give us some she will accept them," he said in a telephone interview.



http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/parenting/10/12/sixteen.kids.ap/index.html

[tx_dem41]

1. There was a 350+ post thread on this yesterday.

Just saying.

[Nostradammit]

2. Join in the fun!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5043006

[tx_dem41]

3. Hey....I think I know you.

:)

[Nostradammit]

26. tx_dem41 thinks he knows me ~

Will wonders never cease?

:toast:

[tx_dem41]

41. I guess they will never cease...

Its called being friendly, not letting politics consume you, and saying hi to past sparring partners. Just saying hi and good to see you again.

[Nostradammit]

42. Exactly !

My first response to you in our last round was, "will wonders never cease?"

I wish for you all blessings, my friend!

:toast:

:toast:

[On the Road]

4. "If the Lord Wants to Give us Some"

Can you imagine if everyone took that attitude? Population explosion and mass poverty, for one.

[lcordero2]

5. a burden from hell must be being put on their oldest children

[MountainLaurel]

16. You bet

Go to the other thread and read some of the stories from children raised in these sort of families.

There was a case in DC a few years ago where a toddler from one of these breeder families fried in the minivan because dad forgot about him. The mother was in Ireland visiting with a dying family member, along with the oldest sister, who had just gotten out of a psychiatric facility after a nervous breakdown from the stress of helping to raise 11 or 12 siblings. (And in these cases, it's often the older girls who are responsible for the younger ones, since the families most likely to do this are also real big on the female subjugation.)

[lcordero2]

17. I remember one day when I was about 12 or 13

My mother made a comment about having another child, I was LIVID. This is a single parent household, she being the only parent. I told her should she have one, I will MOVE THE FUCK OUT. Even if it meant being homeless.

on edit: a single parent household with my brother and I. Single parent with two kids and less than $20,000 a year income. From this, both kids(myself and my brother) are over 30 years of age with no children; and my brother is about ready to get divorced.

[Beaverhausen]

6. Someone should tell these people about this ADOPTION thing

They love children alright, just as long as they are white children.

All the children who need loving homes and these "good christians" have to keep breeding. Think of what a great example they would set if they adopted.

[LisaL]

27. Good god, WTF would they be adopting? This woman

has 16 children already. And considering she and her husband are white, what color do you think her children are going to be?

[Beaverhausen]

46. My point is, since they say they want MORE children & they are "christian"

...why don't they just adopt...considering all the children who need homes?

and my other point is that of course, these hypocrites won't adopt cause they would most likely end up with "colored" children.

[SoCalDem]

7. Building a 7K sq ft house with 9 bathrooms

wonder what Dad does for a living? He must be a televangelist..If not, he should be.. They make lots of money from the lonely widows of america..

[Silverhair]

25. He is a very successful real estate agent. NT

[Spinzonner]

8. It's been conclusively proven that 'thinking' about it is not the problem

though it is a known risk factor.

[holboz]

9. I think they're doing it for PR. Seriously.

I feel sorry for the kids in this family. How can the parents possibly give each and every child the love and attention that a child needs for proper development? As someone mentioned, the older kids are undoubtedly being surrogate parents to some of the younger ones.

And what about this statement: "if the Lord wants to give us some she will accept them."

Accept them . Don't overwhelm us with your enthusiasm, Michelle.

I was glad to vote AGAINST this guy in the last election.
I mean, if he's that committed to family then he needs to be at home in Springdale and not 3 hours away working at the Capitol building in Little Rock.

Here's his website:
http://www.jimbob.info/

[Nikia]

10. Why is this a big deal?

There are plenty of other big families in the U.S. While they aren't common, they aren't extra rare either. I bet there are at least a few thousand, if not more, families that size that are still increasing in the U.S.

[tx_dem41]

11. Psssst...they're fundies...

and we hate fundies. :sarcasm:

[KansDem]

12. Man, don't these folks ever "do it" just for fun?

:shrug:

[redwitch]

35. ahem.

She's home all day schooling 16 children, washing, cooking and cleaning, being pregnant like FOREVER and did I mention she has 16 children? I can't believe she gives a damn about much besides enough sleep. I would never want to have sex again. But that's just me. :-)

[MazeRat7]

13. Its selfish, ignorant, inconsiderate, and a cancer on society....

Now let me tell you how I "really" feel ?.... There should be a limit on how many children one family can bring into this world.

MZr7

[tx_dem41]

14. How would you enforce that?

Since it is obvious that you are not "pro-choice", I'm wondering how you would have the government take over a woman's reproductive system and enforce this limitation.

[MazeRat7]

15. Oh pls... this is not a "pro-choice" issue.

But to specifically answer your question, I would start by imposing financial penalties on families beyond a certain size. I have no idea what that size should be but I would guess somewhere around 3-5 children. After that you pay society for "your choices"... a reverse child deduction approach on federal taxes, no insurance for dependents above the limit, etc.

Bottom line, we (as a society) are having too many children and there needs to some incentive for families not to do so.

MZr7

[Nikia]

20. Americans are only averaging around 2 children right now

In some rural communities where there have been traditionally large families, there has been a population decline because people are no longer having big families. I am not saying that people should have big families, but they shouldn't be prevented from having them either especially if they can take care of them all and live in less dense areas. Of course we should educate women here and abroad about how to prevent having big families, but ultimately it is their choice.

[LisaL]

31. China does that. They think one is enough.

[LittleClarkie]

34. Weren't there problems with infantcide though?

I say if these folks aren't hurting anybody, then they should have the lifestyle they want, same as anyone else. You can be gay, a nudist, have twenty million kids, whatever. Welcome to America.

[Zinfandel]

45. Your right, "selfish, ignorant & inconsiderate" its the republican way

Jim Bob Duggar-Republican

[Debau2005]

18. To add fuel to the fire!

They were on Anderson Cooper. They Home School! No, not surprised. I think we should all chip in and buy the woman a trip to the hair dresser!

[AlCzervik]

19. i just caught the end of that report---cult like

[Silverhair]

21. This guy is trying to start his own cult.

First, I am a faithful member of an Assembly of God church, (Yes, went to Wednesday night service yesterday.)so I can speak without being labeled a Christian basher.

These people are outside of the mainstream of Pentacosalism. They are a new cult. Typically, cults like that do not last a long time. The central personality of the cult wears thin after a while, especially if the cult doesn't live together. The members are always exposed to other thoughts. Usually cults, in their formative years, have to isolate their members to survive. If they don't, the cult withers away.

Their homeschooling will NOT work out. Serious homeschooling takes a LOT of work and commitment by the parent - usually the mother. But each child will be at different points in their lessons. She can't possibally teach all of them, nor can the older ones teach the younger ones as the older ones need to do their own lessons. Most likely the kids are set down in front of a TV with A-Beka DVDs in. Those are very popular with Fundamentalist home schoolers. I have seen a few of them and those tapes are poorly made and dumb also. They ridicule science. (What hypocracy! Using items made by scientist while ridiculing scientists as being foolish.)

The kids are being kept in isolation from the rest of the world. That is a control issue, not a protection issue. Someday the kids will have to interact with the rest of the world, and will discover that their parents have not been truthful to them. It will be a very rough time as the kids sort things out.

His control over the girls is absurd. He wants to pick their husbands, as was/is done in the middle east. Of course, that will keep the girls isolated from the outside world. He may have trouble finding guys for them, as his cult probably will not grow. I forsee lots of trouble down the road on this.

The boys will simply leave. Once they start going into the world, they won't be back to the cult. (I hope they discover a good mainstream church.)

As I said, I am a devoted Pentacostal Christian, and speaking as one, I do NOT believe that this family's arrangemet is God's Will. It strongly appears to be the ego of Duggan, not God that is the driving force here.

In this context, I believe that the woman is in bondage to an evil man. His evil is subtle, but it is there.

Now if it were just a large family, but normal in every other way, I would have nothing to say. And certainly having 16 kids IS their choice.

[Canuckistanian]

22. Jinger?

Now there's a kid who's gonna have problems in life.

[MountainLaurel]

23. Jinger Bells, Jinger Bells

I got spurs that Jinger, Janger, Jinger...

Jinger Bell, Jinger Bell, Jinger Bell Rock.

Man, that kid better thank Gawd every night that he's homeschooled, because his life would be utter misery if he were around kids that didn't share the same genetic code.

[Pushed To The Left]

24. I'm happy for them!

If the family is happy, and the parents have the ability to provide for all of the children, then why should any of us have a problem with it? Part of what makes us progressives is that we don't believe in judging people the way the right wing does.

[Nostradammit]

29. Another part of what makes us progressives

is that we try to find real-life solutions to real-life problems, and one of the biggest problems facing our society is overpopulation. The world ain't gettin' any bigger, yo.

[bleedingheart]

28. I wonder...do they really have time for each child???

I know that planning meals for 18 people and the dishes and the laundry and the attention that each of these kids needs would be overhwelming.

I have a neighbor with 5 kids and some of her kids are desparate for attention...it is heartbreaking because the mother is so overwhelmed.

[Canuckistanian]

30. Good point

I'm a parent of an autistic child and he takes up mountains of my time. Can you imagine if even ONE of them is a special needs child?

Either that one kid suffers or they all do.

[kineneb]

40. I have an answer- No!

My grandfather was #10 of 10 surviving children (2 died in infancy). He mentioned that his mother never had time for him and he could not get much attention. So the woman is a baby factory, without much time for real parenting.

[question everything]

32. None of the stories indicated on how they make a living

The oldest child is a teenager, so I don't think that any of the kids work to support the family.

Why hasn't any of the news outlets tried digging a bit dipper?

[LisaL]

33. What are they going to dig for?

For crying out loud, not everything involves a conspiracy. Father is a real estate agent, not a secret agent.

[question everything]

36. Thanks. Did not go to the source

all I saw was that he was a former elected official

[MarsThe Cat]

48. the ones i've seen say that he's a weaslthy real estate broker...

or real estate something.

[Catherine Vincent]

37. Geeze. I'd hate to be the middle child in that family.

LOL.

[LisaL]

38. Would you like to be the oldest or the youngest? LOL.

I would hate to be any child in that family. I have one sister and that was more than enough.

[Catherine Vincent]

39. If I had a choice I would rather be one of the younger ones.

:-)

[REP]

43. If They Were 'Collecting' 16 Cats or Dogs, They'd Be Called Pathologic

But since they're collecting endless babies, it's not pathologic, it's a miraaaaaacle, right?

[zanne]

47. ROFL!

The next time somebody tells me I have too many cats (four), I'll think of what you said and ask them how many kids they have.

[bluestateguy]

44. I support their freedom of choice

and I support my freedom of speech to criticize the choices that they make.

The Duggar family would have been great for the world during ancient or medieval times, but this planet cannot handle families that pump out huge litters of kids anymore. And that goes for the third world countries too.

[NaturalHigh]

49. If they can support that many children,

then it's their business and nobody else's. I'm against laws that limit how many children a family can have, as they lead to forced abortions and infanticide.

That said, the two kids that we have are plenty for my wife and me. I can't imagine having sixteen kids running through the house.