In Which the Gloves Come Off and I Say Some Things I Might Regret Later

I am in a bad mood right now. This morning, I had to read through some reports regarding one of my cases that involved one party doing something so heinous to another party that I threw up in my mouth a little bit when I read it.

So, I preface this by saying...I'm not in a good mood. I am horrified by the freakishly cruel things that people do to people they are supposed to love. I try not to let it make me jaded, so it tends to make me angry.

And right now, my anger, rather than being directed at the party who deserves it (because I have to maintain professional distance) - my anger has found another outlet....and here it goes.

I am reading this article right now, and I want to wring Nadya Suleman's (aka The Octuplet Mom) neck.

First, she says she's never been on welfare....BUUUUUUUUUUUUUT she gets food stamps. ANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNND the hospital has billed Medi-Cal for the expenses of the birth and the care of the 8 babies? Huh??? HUH???? WTF????

The people of California have to pay for this lunacy??????????????

Now, when my niece was born, all by herself, a singleton birth, eleven weeks early, she had to spend a very long time in the hospital, and we were very worried that she wouldn't make it (she just turned 14 years old, happily) - it was very, very expensive, her neonatal intensive care. I'm not sure HOW expensive, but it was EXPENSIVE and it was paid for by my sister's health coverage that she had through her husband's employment. So I have some personal knowledge of how much it costs to keep a preemie alive, and how much work it is to keep a preemie alive, and how much, as a family, you do not THINK ABOUT how much it costs to keep a preemie alive, because, in that time, your mind is trying very hard not to think about the fact that without all this machinery and doctors and nurses and techs, this baby, this dearly loved and wanted and hoped for baby, this baby who fits in the PALM OF YOUR HAND, will die.

My point is, I'm not a monster. I don't begrudge these babies the cost of keeping them alive. So, please don't think that's what I'm saying. Let me make that very clear. I do not begrudge these babies a thing. They are here now, and breathing and children of God. I hope they live long, healthy lives. And that they don't carry on the insanity of their mother.

What I begrudge is that their mother did this to them on purpose. She DID IT ON PURPOSE. Even knowing the risks of having SIX (allegedly) embryos implanted, she DID IT ANYWAY. And now the people of California will pay boatloads of money to keep these eight babies alive, when, if she had had them implanted one or two at a time, WOULD NOT BE NECESSARY. (Okay, sure, based on this woman's track record, probably Medi-Cal would be paying for each of those births, but probably not to the tune of 1.5 million.)

What I begrudge is that she insists she isn't getting welfare. What does she think food stamps are?? I KNOW that times are hard, and I know that there are a lot of people in this country who are hungry who need food stamps, who depend on them for their continued health and well-being, because it is hard to feed four people (or five or six) on minimum wage. And I have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that a woman who had $100,000 (A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS) to have fertility treatments somehow DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO FEED THE CHILDREN SHE ALREADY HAS. I have to believe that there are families in California who are more deserving of that $490/month in assistance, which this woman doesn't even recognize as ASSISTANCE.

I begrudge the fact that she would actually say that "God will provide in his own way" (article here) when asked how she will feed these babies. Because it sure wasn't God who got her pregnant with EIGHT babies, and it sure feels like the people of California will be supplying much of their food.

And then we have this article, which suggests that I am angry with this woman because I am JEALOUS. Which, just...wow. That makes me think my head might actually explode.

I am not jealous of a woman with ten children under the age of 2. I think that having ten children under the age of 2 will be a special kind of hell compromised of horrifying sleep deprivation and a never-ending tidal wave of unavoidable bodily fluids.

So, no, I am not jealous. I am angry that anyone would look at this bumblef**k of arrogance, stupidity, greed, and hubris and call it a miracle. It's not a miracle - it's a travesty.

LM