Two for the Price of One

A fellow blogger, Tiffani, mentioned this news article on her blog. A couple in Australia is suing their doctor for accidentally implanting two embryos during in-vitro fertilization. So, are they suing for the extra medical costs associated with twins? Are they suing for lost work time from being on bedrest during a twin pregnancy? I could kind of understand that, since twin pregnancies are high-risk and there can be additional medical costs.

No, they are suing for $400,000, their estimate of the cost to raise this "extra" and "unwanted" baby. The poor girl (whichever twin it is) is going to be scarred for life. The mother actually said they considered selective reduction, and adoption, but decided neither would be good for the twin girls. You think?? The couple, who happen to be lesbians, make $120,000 per year and obviously wanted a baby enough to go through IVF, but they just couldn't function in a life with twins.

I found this commentary on the story, and many of the journalist's opinions are consistent with my own.

"But what also surprises me is these mothers seemed unprepared for - and shocked by - some of parenthood's most basic sacrifices. It's not just that their bond seems to have been so weak. One of the mothers also complained that their relationship had become mired in the everyday tasks of raising children.

Hey! Join the club, sister. But love, you'll find, gets you through.

In fact, you must wonder at the mother who says one child would have been heaven but two is hell. Was she truly ready for even the one?"

Yesterday as we juggled the twins in high chairs while we all tried to scarf down some lunch at a restaurant, a woman nearby commented that "she always wanted twins and thought they would be so fun." We get that comment a lot, and I just chuckle to myself and say, "they are fun, but a handful."

I wonder if the lady in this article would instead go off about how awful twins are, how they ruined her relationship, how expensive they are, blah blah blah. I just hate whiners, and this is the ultimate whine. Suck it up lady, you got two for the price of one!

Oh, and my twins came the good old fashioned way, but I won't be suing my ovaries any time soon.