Dong Yuzheng said: "In today's world, only a few countries and regions such as India allow surrogacy, but most countries and regions, including Europe, do not support surrogacy. They even impose certain penalties on institutions and personnel implementing surrogacy technology. In our country, the health administration department has issued documents to explicitly prohibit the implementation of surrogacy technology."
A wealthy couple with the surname L from Guangzhou had been unable to conceive for a long time. Last year, they conceived eight embryos through in vitro fertilization (IVF) technology, all of which were successful. Overjoyed, the couple eventually found two surrogate mothers. Together with their own uterus, they adopted a '2+3+3' formation, giving birth to eight babies - four boys and four girls - within a month between September and October last year. Currently, this family employs 11 nannies to take care of the octuplets' daily life, living together in a residential area in Panyu.
Ye Pingzhi: Early childhood education expert, professor at the Education College of Guangzhou University
Dong Yuzheng believed that the "octuplets" case was an example of the abuse of human assisted reproductive technology. "The original value orientation has been distorted, and the desire of infertile couples to become pregnant and give birth has been excessively amplified. If not stopped, theoretically, they could find more women to act as surrogates and give birth to five or even eight children, as long as they can afford the nanny fees, the children's living expenses, and future educational and health costs."
Focus 2:
Dong Yuzheng expressed concerns about whether the octuplets would be able to grow up healthily in the future. He said that according to the law, this woman is the common mother of the eight children; however, in terms of the act of childbirth, she is only the "biological mother" of the three children she herself gave birth to. Can these five children receive the same treatment as those three? "If not, it will certainly be very detrimental to the healthy growth of the children."
The main expenses are in two parts: first, the full surrogacy remuneration, medical, and intermediary fees for the surrogate mothers, which currently cost around 350,000 yuan. This is the price for one child. For twins or multiple births, each additional child requires an extra payment of 30,000 to 50,000 yuan. Calculated in this way, the total cost for the two surrogate mothers to give birth to five children should exceed 800,000 yuan. Second, the medical cost of IVF and subsequent fetal preservation fees. In this case of octuplets, IVF technology was used, which involves first successfully retrieving eggs from the mother's body, incubating them with sperm in a test tube to form embryos, and then transplanting them into the uterus. The cost of this varies greatly, ranging from 30,000 to over 100,000 yuan, mainly depending on whether the surgery is successful at the first attempt and also on the qualifications of the medical institution and doctor. Relatively speaking, the cost at old-established tertiary hospitals is much higher.
Hiring 11 nannies costs 100,000 yuan per month
Expert Evaluation
Endorsing advertisements for children's photography stores
Exorbitant
"This couple was eager to have children and had waited for many years," plus their business was very successful, "whether it was the cost of IVF, surrogacy, or future living and educational expenses, none of these were issues for them." Thus, after deliberation, the couple decided to have all eight children. For this purpose, they found two surrogate mothers through an intermediary. The mother herself carried three, while the two surrogates each carried three and two respectively. During the surrogacy period, these two surrogate mothers were also invited to live in the couple's villa in Panyu, taken care of by people hired by the family. Facebook mobile ad revenue may exceed $1.2 billion annually.
Dong Yuzheng believed that the "success" of the octuplets was accidental and not worth promoting. Their "success" concealed certain risks. Our country stipulates that women who legally undergo human assisted reproductive technology must implement embryo reduction techniques after implanting multiple embryos to ensure pregnancy success. The purpose is to protect the health and safety of both the pregnant woman and the fetus. Countless cases show that multiple pregnancies pose more significant hazards to the health and safety of both the pregnant woman and the fetus, which is detrimental to their health and safety. The three pregnant women and eight children in this case were actually taking significant risks in becoming pregnant and giving birth. Even if they were all healthy and safe, Aiwenxin breast enhancement oil, it was still a "great fortune" and not worth imitating.
Last October, the eight children were born one after another, with the ones the mother herself carried being born earliest, and the difference between the earliest and latest birth being no more than one month. And fortunately, there were four boys and four girls.
When the octuplets turned 100 days old, they also endorsed advertisements for a children's photography chain store. A director surnamed Li from the photography chain store told our reporter yesterday that after negotiating the advertisement endorsement with the parents at the end of last year, he led a team to shoot at their home. "Normally, we need two people to shoot one baby, but that day there were more than ten people assisting, and the parents and nannies were all mobilized," he said. He added that the scene was very chaotic at the time, "some babies were sleepy, some were crying, and some were crawling everywhere, requiring constant adjustments to their states." As a result, they spent the entire afternoon shooting, producing only a dozen rough drafts, "only selecting one or two good ones." These one or two group photos were highly promoted by the chain store as the "first octuplets in China," used as advertising flyers and widely distributed to customers. Weibo recommendation | Today's Weibo hot topics (Editor: SN017)
All eight IVF embryos survived
Detailed calculations show that the monthly expenditure of 100,000 yuan for the octuplets is not exaggerated: first, the salaries of the 11 nannies, which currently range around 2,500 yuan each, and for infant nannies requiring 24-hour care, the cost is even higher, estimated at around 30,000 yuan per month for this item alone; second, the expenses for the octuplets' milk powder, diapers, clothes, medicine, games, education, etc. Currently, the monthly expenditure for raising one child in an average middle-class family exceeds 5,000 yuan, and it is understood that the parents of the octuplets are not stingy with these expenditures and are even quite generous. Taking early education as an example, the early education center they chose has high-end charging standards in Guangzhou. It is reported that the parents pay 1,590 yuan weekly for their children's studies at this early education center. Therefore, it is estimated that this item's monthly expenditure should exceed 40,000 yuan. Thirdly, the eating, drinking, toileting, and transportation of this super-sized family, it is understood that whenever the octuplets go out, it includes the mother, eight nannies, and a dedicated driver.
It is introduced that after birth, the octuplet family resides in a villa in Panyu. The whole family employs 11 nannies to take care of the children's daily lives, with each of the eight children having one dedicated nanny, two responsible for cleaning, and one specifically tasked with cooking for this true "large household."
During the process of interviewing the "octuplets" incident, I deeply realized that even ordinary affluent families might not be able to afford raising octuplets. A wealthy businessman from Guangzhou had been unable to conceive for many years, but last year, using IVF technology, the eight embryos conceived were all successful.
Since the parties involved were unwilling to be interviewed, the exact cost of birthing the octuplets remains unknown. However, based on the undercover investigation by our reporter over several days into the local surrogacy industry and the situation of her pregnancy, it is estimated that the pregnancy and delivery costs of the octuplets should be close to 1 million yuan.
4 boys and 4 girls born within a month
Abuse of assisted reproductive technology: can money buy children?
No hesitation in spending big money on early education
This October, after the octuplets turned one year old, the couple sent them to a high-end early education center on Tianhe North Road. Every Thursday morning from 9:15 am to 10:00 am, until this report was filed, the class remained exclusively set up for the octuplets. It is reported that since October this year, the octuplets have attended classes four times, each time accompanied by their mother and eight nannies, making a grand procession, lively and bustling. "Actually, it wasn't deliberate; they just have a larger number of people, and at this age, there are temporarily no other children needing to join this course," said the early education advisor.
Compared to production costs that are paid once, rearing costs are a continuous long-term investment. According to several parents who have interacted with the octuplets' nannies at the early education center, "a few nannies mentioned that the boss previously calculated that the family's monthly expenditure would be over 100,000 yuan."
Production: Only IVF and surrogacy cost nearly one million yuan
Living: Employing 11 nannies and one driver to take care of the children
First, not everyone can afford it.
Second, the rearing costs are exorbitant.
Experts: Extreme cases carry great risks and violate laws and regulations
Reflection
Chen Yishao believes that whether the child is personally conceived by the mother has no impact on the child's growth; the key lies in the way the parents treat their children. "Our kindergarten has a little girl adopted by a retired couple. This couple treats their adopted daughter as their own and carefully nurtures her, frequently communicating with teachers and experts about educational methods. As a result, this girl has a sunny personality and a strong sense of security," she said, "Therefore, I believe that compared to the method of conception and upbringing, the parents' cultivation and their way of treating and educating their children, as well as the correct establishment of the relationship between both sides, are more critical."
Birth Story of the Octuplets
Years of infertility
Chen Yishao: Principal of Mingyuan Kindergarten in Tianhe District
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Whether the octuplets can grow up healthily
Focus 1:
Text/By reporters Liu Xianren and Lu Yingxin
At the beginning of this month, our reporter accidentally discovered the octuplets publicly endorsing advertisements for a children's photography chain store in Tianhe Road, even boldly claiming to be the "first octuplets in China"; subsequently, a reader informed us that they saw the octuplets attending classes at an early education center on Tianhe North Road, where "the octuplets formed a separate class." After numerous twists and turns, our reporter contacted the mother of the octuplets through a photographer surnamed Li who had previously photographed the octuplets, proposing an interview. After reviewing the interview outline provided by our reporter, the mother of the octuplets expressed dissatisfaction with the intent of the interview last night and refused to be interviewed through the photographer surnamed Li.
Dong Yuzheng: Medical ethics expert, Secretary-General of the Guangdong Family Planning Association, part-time professor at the Health Management College of Guangzhou Medical University, Philosophy Doctor
He pointed out simultaneously that the application of human assisted reproductive technology forms a "pentagonal relationship" between sperm, eggs, womb, money, and tubes, with each corner representing a special interest subject. In natural pregnancy, there is no need for tubes, and sperm, eggs, womb, and money are unified. One pregnancy behavior realizes the interests of four corners because the interests of the four corners are unified. However, in human assisted reproductive technology, if surrogacy is allowed, all five corners can be separated and not unified. For instance, the sperm is from a sperm donor, the egg is from an egg donor, the womb is from a surrogate, the tube is from the hospital, and the only thing the legal couple needs to do is pay the money, then they can get the child. In this case, the sperm, eggs, and money are unified, provided by the legal couple, but the womb and tube each represent different interest subjects.
Will the successful birth of the "octuplets" through IVF and surrogacy lead to a trend among economically powerful individuals?
The mother of the octuplets is described as a successful career-oriented businesswoman who did not have children early in her career due to focusing on her work. Several years after marriage, wanting a child but failing to conceive, she tried various modern medical technologies, including IVF, but none were successful.
Under the advice of elders, the couple then turned to charity work, "hoping that good people will be rewarded with good results, and heaven will grant them children." The mother joined the Guangdong Lions Club Mingdao Service Team, where a responsible person introduced that the mother genuinely contributed both financially and physically to charity work. Coincidentally, about a year after participating in charity activities, she successfully conceived eight children.
The mother is very attentive to the care of the octuplets. "If she doesn't come herself, she won't let the nannies bring the children to early education classes alone," but due to her busy business schedule at the end of the year, when our reporter called the early education center yesterday, a woman responsible for telephone consultations at the center said that the octuplets would not attend classes before the Spring Festival.
However, according to insiders familiar with the couple, producing eight children at once was not originally the intention of the couple. It is introduced that the current medical statistics indicate that the success rate of IVF is only around 30%. When the couple attempted IVF, they made eight embryos, originally thinking that having two or three succeed would already be lucky. Unexpectedly, all eight embryos from this IVF attempt were successful.
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