Known throughout the United States as the “Octomom,” Nadya Suleman came to international attention after delivering octuplets. Early news of her pregnancy and delivery was heralded as a medical miracle. Soon, however, fierce public outrage surfaced and ethical debates began when it was discovered that Suleman already had six children and was unmarried, unemployed and receiving public assistance.

Suleman was born in California as an only child to parents Edward and Angela Doud. She married young and soon separated from her husband after being unable to conceive a child. While working as a technician in a psychiatric hospital, Suleman saved her money, often working double shifts, to pay for expensive in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments. During a riot at the hospital, Suleman was hurt and suffered ...