The recent birth of the Suleman octuplets in southern California has attracted unprecedented attention from physicians,
parents and publishers around the world. It is a frequent topic of conversation in coffee shops and classrooms. Issues surrounding the octuplets' child care, health expenses, biological origin and future development-all important and timely--have been debated endlessly. It is worth asking: why are people following this story so closely? Aside from the concerns mentioned above, there may be other reasons why people care.
I have suggested in my recent book ENTWINED LIVES that twins, triplets and more capture attention because they contradict our expectations about the way the world should be. That is, we live in a culture that anticipates and prizes individual differences in behavior; thus, when we confront two or more individuals who look and act so similarly, it becomes intriguing. Onlookers variously view identical twins with amazement, pleasure, disdain, or even fear, but always with fascination. Perhaps identical twins' most engaging attribute is their close social relationship, characterized by complete understanding and acceptance. It is a luxury that many people envy and love to see.
Most women have one baby at a time, so that two or more births become landmark events. Deliveries of higher order multiples (three or more) are especially celebrated, despite the well-known health risks to mothers and infants. Furthermore, octuplets have been delivered successfully only one other time, ten years ago, although one of the babies died within the first week. This probably explains, at least in part, why the recent successful birth of the Suleman ocuplets has been so consuming. This birth sets a new record, and new records are always compelling.
Physicians may wonder if other women will be inspired to follow this lead, or try to surpass it, but that seems unlikely, (For example, women in their sixties can become pregnant via egg donation and in vitro fertilization, yet few elect to do so.) The challenges of child-bearing and child-rearing are well-known, magnified by higher order multiples. But we can hope that the new babies, now that they are here, will continue to thrive.
