The Octuplets and Late-Term Abortions

Eight newborn babies are drawing the country's attention today.

What's so special about 8 newborn babies? These 8 little ones were born to one mother.

BELLFLOWER, Calif. (AP) -- Octuplets born to a mother in Southern California were in stable condition and breathing on their own, doctors said Tuesday.

Dr. Mandhir Gupta, a neonatologist at Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Medical Center, told ABC the eight babies "are doing actually very, very well."

Two of the newborns—the world's second live-born set of octuplets—were initially put on ventilators, but their breathing tubes have been removed.

"Only three babies need some sort of oxygen through the nose right now but they are breathing on their own," Gupta said on "Good Morning America."

The mother, who was not identified, gave birth Monday to the six boys and two girls weighing between 1.8 pounds and 3.4 pounds. The eighth baby was a surprise to the parents and doctors who had been expecting only seven children.

They were "expecting ONLY seven children"?

I wouldn't put it that way.

...Doctors said they repeatedly conducted practice sessions in anticipation of the deliveries and were well prepared. Maples credited that with the ability to handle the unexpected eighth baby. "It was wonderful just knowing that our teamwork paid off," she said.

Forty-six doctors, nurses and assistants delivered the babies. That's a massive staff working to bring the children into the world.

They conducted repeated practice sessions, all in anticipation of successfully delivering the babies.

It was an incredible effort.

What a contrast between this and the effort it takes to abort babies, disposing of human life!

...The mother checked into the hospital in her 23rd week of pregnancy and gave birth to the premature babies seven weeks later. Hospital officials would not say whether she had used fertility drugs.

These babies are premature and they face challenges ahead, but they are doing very well at this point.

The birth of the octuplets come as Meriter Hospital will decide whether it will approve a plan to perform late-term abortions at Madison Surgery Center. That decision is set to be made on Wednesday.

Today, thousands of petitions to stop this policy will be delivered to the Meriter Hospital Board. A noon news conference is scheduled in Madison at the State Capitol Rotunda.

There is such a divide.

A team of doctors and a family is celebrating the birth of 8 precious babies at the same time the Meriter Hospital Board is deciding on approving a plan that would permit children at the same stage in their development to be killed.

...Dr. Richard Paulson, director of the fertility program at the University of Southern California, said the latest births likely resulted from the use of fertility drugs, and that the children could face serious health risks.

"It's a risky decision to try to have all eight babies," said Paulson, who had no role in the delivery. "I would not recommend it under any circumstances, but I respect a parent's decision."

No doubt, the parents' decision to have all eight babies will be commended by some as a loving act and condemned by others as selfish and dangerous, that they should have had a "selective reduction" procedure, aborting some of the babies to improve the odds of having one or two healthy babies rather than multiple very premature babies.

Bottom line: At all stages of a baby's development -- embryo, first, second, or third trimester -- we're talking about a human life.