They Declined....

Well, it seems that of the Minnesota couple's recently born sextuplets, two of the babies have died. A CNN story early this morning read:

"A second sextuplet born prematurely to a Minnesota couple has died, hospital officials said Friday.

The boy, Tryg Brenton Morrison, died Thursday night. Tryg's brother Bennet Ryan died Wednesday night.

The four surviving babies remained in critical condition Friday in the neonatal intensive care unit at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis....

The four boys and two girls were born Sunday in the 22nd week of pregnancy -- about 4½ months early -- and weighed from 11 ounces to 1 pound, 3 ounces, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Experts say that at 22 weeks, many of a baby's major organs -- including the skin, brain, kidneys and lungs -- are underdeveloped...." The story then went on to say, "Parents Ryan and Brianna Morrison, both 24, spent more than a year trying to conceive before Brianna Morrison was able to conceive using fertility drugs.

Doctors had advised them to selectively reduce the number of viable fetuses to two, but they declined.""

Folks, I don't consider this a miracle. I don't consider two tiny deaths a fucking miracle at all. I think it's tragic and it's a travesty. There was a sensible reason the doctors advised the young couple they way they did and I think was selfish for them to spurn that advice.

Couples who go into infertility treatment ARE thoroughly educated from the start that selective reduction may be a medical necessity both for the health of the mother and/or for the health of the unborn infants.

Doctors already know that the more fetuses in a single womb, the more likely the chance of premature birth is. That has been proven again and again. They are also educated as to the medical dangers premature birth poses to the newborn. The earlier the birth, the more significant the dangers are. The examples CNN cited are only a small sample. So excuse me for not quite achieving a full understanding how anyone in their right mind could choose to expose any child to that kind of desparate risk and think it ia an act of love.