Forget Kate Plus Eight Minus One. There’s a new game in town and it’s called If We Keep Having Babies Maybe We Won’t Get Canceled.
But now the couple – who only recently brought baby Josie home after being hospitalized for six months as she recovered from a perforated bowel and rare digestive problems – say they are ready to consider a 20th child.
The Duggars show, 19 and Counting (previously 18 and counting), airs on TLC – and shame on TLC and their carnival freak show programming. But here’s the part that makes me see red:
Similarly daunting are the very real medical risks Michelle could face with another pregnancy – particularly a return of preeclampsia, which can lead to a stroke or prove fatal. But despite the risk – and intense criticism – the pair vow to stick to their beliefs.
Having another baby isn’t about convictions, it’s about ratings. But what I find appalling is what sort of mother would risk leaving her other 19 children motherless? When I was on the way to the hospital to have my second child I remember being so afraid that something would happen to me. For nine months I worried (pregnant mothers tend to worry) about the baby, but when I kissed my three year old good-bye I was struck with a new fear. In the blink of an eye my survival became an overwhelming concern. I wanted to be around to raise my children. Why this isn’t the Duggars’ concern boggles the mind.