Nadya Suleman, better known as Octomom, earned instant notoriety and charges of irresponsibility when she gave birth to octuplets (conceived via in vitro fertilization) in January 2009. The single mother's attempts to milk that notoriety to support her brood prompted more criticism. Now her 15 minutes of fame have run out, she's struggling to feed her children, 14 in all, and is on the verge of applying for welfare. Does the divisive celebrity mom now deserve our pity — and tax dollars? (Watch a report about the Octomom's foreclosure crisis)
Suleman is a casualty of celebrity culture: "America, I hope you're sorry," says Kim Conte at The Stir. "Octomom's bleak financial future is entirely all your fault." It's hypocritical to celebrate other public figures who "pimp out their kids" like the Duggars on TLC, then label Suleman as "bad" just because she publicized her story "a little too much." I personally feel guilty that "we consumed "every minute detail of her and her kids' lives, only to tire and forget about her in the end."
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