The 5th Morrison sextuplet has died. Having worked for 15 years in the NICU, this story upsets me to no end. As I’ve already mentioned in my previous posts about this, the mom had no business being prescribed potent fertility drugs at this time. And certainly, she wasn’t being monitored well while she was taking them, to try to prevent so many eggs being fertilized at one time. We do really need stringent guidelines about fertility treatments, and physicians need to be forced to follow them.

Second, the media outburst over this situation, making it sound like it was some miraculous event instead of a medical and ethical disaster. Think 22 week sextuplets are “cute?” Most people would be horrified to see what they actually look like, and even more horrified over the torture involved to keep them alive. Believe me, been there and done that. Micro-preemies do suffer terribly from the constant piercing, probing and other painful procedures that are performed on them, in the name of keeping them alive. Which isn’t to say that we shouldn’t do our best on those that are viable (although viability is a very gray area), but stop sugar coating what goes on in the NICU, and especially with babies that tiny and immature. The March of Dimes has been campaigning to reduce the incidence of premature birth for a reason.

It is not a miracle to be born at 22 weeks–it is a tragic situation for everyone involved, even if the baby should survive. It is not a miracle to be a sextuplet and the product of a powerful fertility drug–we should be looking at how to better control this and not applauding it.

From the Startribune.com:

One of the two remaining Morrison sextuplets has died, leaving only a boy named Sylas, who remains in critical condition at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis.

Three of the boys died within a week of their birth, and a fourth, a girl, died June 23.

The family issued a brief statement, as it has with the loss of the other children, asking people to “keep us in your prayers.”Though our difficult time continues, our faith remains strong,” the Morrisons said.