Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

OctoMom Might Not Get to Bring Home the Babies

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today. 

She wanted $2 million in endorsements and appearance fees, but now Nadya Suleman, aka OctoMom, just wants her 8 newborn babies. The 33-year-old Whittier woman apparently told TV therapist Dr. Phil McGraw that she feared Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Bellflower might not release the babies to her, according to the Associated Press (via Huffington Post).

McGraw readily acknowledges the reality of the hospital's decision to not allow the octuplets to be sent home in Suleman's care, and believes they just might do so if she cannot demonstrate she has more resources with which to care for them.

The single mom of 14's life has come under much scrutiny since she delivered on January 26th; her tenuous relationship with her parents, her obsession with babies, her 6 pregnancies via in vitro fertilization, the paternity of the children, the home she shares with her kids and parents being in foreclosure, her use of disability and government aid funds, and her wish to be hired as a TV child-rearing expert have all brought her more criticism than praise from the public.

An article in today's Daily News called "Octomom fall from miracle to punch line," sums up her ascent and descent tidily.

Support for LAist comes from

Kaiser has declined to comment regarding the release of the eight babies, and Suleman herself has been selective with her media interviews. The first of her two Dr. Phil shows airs today on KCBS-2, and she appeared earlier this month on The Today Show. However, "Suleman has not responded to repeated interview requests from The Associated Press. Her phone has been disconnected" and her pro bono PR firm dropper her.

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.

We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.

Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist