I’m delighted that the octuplet mother didn’t “selectively reduce,” but there is a little bit of an eerie “if science can do it, we do it” feel to this story out of Los Angeles. Big families can be a wonderful gift–and once there is life, it should be welcomed–but do moms of six really need to get themselves implanted with multiple embryos? And then there’s this:

However, most practitioners – while confirming that guidance tells them not to implant multiple embryos – acknowledge the choice is not ultimately theirs to make and rests solely with the mother. “Who am I to say that six is the limit?” Dr Jeffrey Steinberg, medical director of Fertility Institutes, which has clinics in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York City, told the Associated Press news agency. “There are people who like to have big families.”
Dr James Grifo, professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the New York University School of Medicine, added: “I don’t think it’s our job to tell them how many babies they’re allowed to have. I am not a policeman for reproduction in the United States. My role is to educate patients.”

I wish everyone well. But society, and all of us personally, need to rethink these things (and do this thinking before we create life). Just because we can doesn’t mean we should. It’s not above anyone’s pay grade to take a step back and reflect on just how far along into a Brave New World we are. It’s a matter of conscience, dignity, and even common sense. None of these should be anathema to doctors or parents (or any of us).