Interesting-I wonder if they could be charged with child abuse as they knowingly put this unborn child in jeopardy. (If)

Considering what happened with the last birth and not knowing if the child will have problems until it becomes older-is this something they even considered?

It is not our business what she does with her body. She is a demonstrated loving mother. They do not live on welfare. The family is very connected and supportive of each other.

They are different. Nobody wigged out when Kelly Preston had a baby late in life.

I think the husband should be charged with abuse for impregnating his wife this many times even in light of such clear risk to mother and child! It's obvious that forced sterilization is the only way to stop them.

No one wigged out about Kelly Preston is because she didn't treat her body like Santa's baby-making factory during the holiday season!

No one was shocked about Kelly Preston for a few reasons. First, she and John Travolta had lost their oldest boy. Second they had only one other child, not 19.

They're "pro life". I guess that means you keep having kids no matter the health threats to mother or baby.

There is something very seriously wrong with that couple. You can't possibly raise 20 chrildren properly ..

Mom made the comment that overpopulation of the world is a myth. Really Bit**. Tell that to China or India. God told me to tell you "stop having kids." Freaking psycho people. Well, at least they are contributing to the survival of the white people in America. Soon we will all be saying "habla espanol."

Wow I hope when she has this baby the doc goes "Woops" and cuts her tubes out!

Julie, based on your logic, anyone who is considered a high risk pregnancy should be charged with child abuse if things don't go well. If that's how you feel, why don't we just pass a law that says no women who are over 40, have diabetes or endometriosis or any other disease should be prohibited from getting pregnant, just in case things don't go well? Restricting anyone's reproductive rights is morally reprehensible.

Personally, I would never choose to have 20 children. But it's my choice to reproduce the way I want to, as it is hers.

As for those who criticize them for having the older children taking care of the younger ones, I see your point, but I disagree. You would have a point if mom did nothing all day but drink and order the children around. However, this mom is actively involved with the family. Instead of "abusing" their kids with work, they are teaching their kids responsibility. The older Duggar children will actually be prepared to be productive members of society. A Duggar boy won't turn into a pathetic man-child who plays video games into his 40s. A Duggar girl won't be the kind of mom who neglects her children for the sake of "me time". They are teaching the children that being a family means that everyone helps out. That's not a bad thing at all!

pregnancies have complications all the time. Should all those mothers go to jail too. They dont use birth control for religious reasons so its their business. I have a catholic cousin who practiced the same thing and after 7 kids sure enough she needed a hysterectomy. If God has allowed her to have this many and she can handle it well then its knowones business. Atleast she is married and has support. If she wasnt then there would be an issue. This is a natural situation. My great grandma had 13 kids. it wasnt uncommon before birth control even existed. Atleast those kids are loved and thats what it really comes down to. some stupid ladies get pregnant and throw there kids in the trash or do drugs and forget to feed their kids or allow them to be abused.

Pregnancies have complications all the time, yes. Life threatening preeclampsia requiring a 3 month early delivery is tragic and possible for any woman. The difference here is that it already happened to Michelle, they know it WILL happen again, and they still chose to get pregnant again. Preeclampsia isn't a "freak" incident that comes out of nowhere. She WILL experience it again with this pregnancy. She'll be on bedrest with IV magnesium which depresses both mom and baby, and she'll have to be delivered too early.

How would you like it if someone was in your face about the choices YOU make that they don't agree with? I don't think you'd like it very much. Wouldn't you agree that it isn't your business what they do?

If everyone would just take care of themselves and stop being so hateful about what other people do, the world would be a better place. They don't ask for any help, they aren't on any government assistance, so why do you care?

This baby is coming so maybe you can channel your energy into wishing her and her unborn baby well. I hope she'll be ok, and maybe this will be the end. Her choice though!

Michelle has to be permanently dilated by now. If she were really a "demonstrated loving mother" she would be a mother to the kids she already has, and stop having her older daughters saddled with the younger ones' care.

This isn't motherhood, it's a twisted political statement on the part of Michelle and her equally wigged-out husband.

At least they teach their children to be a lot kinder then most of you are...the older ones do help out with the younger children, yes- most of you forget that only a generation or two again large families were much more common, with older children helping out with the younger ones... and just because she had pre-e before, yes, she is more predisposed to it, but it doesn't necessarily mean she will automatically develop it.

The older kids help out with the younger, so what? That's the way families functioned for thousands of years. Only now does it seem "unloving".

Give me a break. Are we really that entitled?

@WoodieRae and anyone else who says it's none of our business... they MAKE it our business when they go on the Today Show to announce it !! They make their whole lives our business when they parade their family around on the horrible reality crap shows and INVITE US into their personal lives !! Personally you couldn't pay me enough to watch it but I do watch the Today Show and was thereby invited to the announcement.... this couple is SICK and their addiction to having babies is going to result in someone's death.

I support the Duggar's personal decision and I wish the very best for Mrs. Duggar and her new baby. Most of the criticism probably comes from those who believe that personal choice is sacred.

Its not my job to watch what they do(just like people who are pro-choice can do what they please) so they can have 25 if they want. I think they are f***ing nuts of course. They must be trying to make sure we hit 7 billion by themselves.

Woodierae, you claim they aren't on welfare - do you suppose they don't take all the exemptions on their taxes ? Are they not using tons more than reasonable public services ? So who is supporting their family ? Some point was made about their religious beliefs and rights; I'm Catholic and had two kids and am now finished. Despite what some old fogies in Rome may say, I see nothing that is responsible Christianity in having 20 kids in an environmentally stressed world. These people are sanctimonious, self- righteous nuts !

If they can support them it's their business. If I am supporting them it's my business. They have never cost me a dime so they can have 35 if they want. I recall as a child a family that had 22 kids. Mom had 4 sets of twins. Everyone was healthy and as the older girls married off Mom was left with a house full of teens and little ones to care for. The sad part was their father died and their where still 8 kids at home. The mother died 3 years later so the little kids were broken up and sent to live with older siblings. I'm sure the Duggers have money set aside for the kids. I worry about the older girls because none of them have jobs outside the home. Are they just going to live at home till they find a husband? I wonder if Michelle dies from a pregnancy what Jim Bob will do for a mate? Does he have a clue what life will be like without her? He could marry again and have 20 more kids if the new wife believes like he does. They have certainly been blessed.

Barbara: I wonder if they could be charged with child abuse as they knowingly put this unborn child in jeopardy.

At the very least, I consider their behavior child neglect, as it pertains to the other children. They are not raising their children; their children are raising each other. It's impossible to have individual contact with love, comfort, consoling, hugs, etc. with a litter like this. In addition, I vehemently object to their using twenty times, at least, more than their share of common resources that belong to the rest of us.

Michelle Duggar suffered preeclampsia during last pregnancy. Her blood pressure soared and protein appeared in her urine. To save Duggar's life, doctors had to deliver daughter Josie three-and-a-half months early.

This is a very good reason why my health insurance premiums keep rising, due to complete nonsense behavior that this idiotic couple has exhibited.

Vivian - They have never cost me a dime so they can have 35 if they want. I recall as a child a family that had 22 kids.

Please take into consideration that the population of the Earth has reached seven billion, and counting. The planet can continue to supply renewable resources, but not at the rate we are consuming, and not at the rate we are destroying them. THIS is where it will cost us (you) down the road, when we run out of clean water and food.

This family disgusts me, along with anyone who supports it. For the record, it is our business, because they chose to lead a public life on a trashy 'reality' TV show. Anyone who willingly subjects themselves and their (unborn) children to harm and death makes it our business.

The irony is that they are abjectly 'pro life'. Anti-abortion for sure, and even anti-birth control from other stories I've read. Funny... how is putting the health of the mother and especially the unborn child 'pro-life'? Oh, that's right... it's the typical fallback excuse: "God's Will". The go-to excuse of feeble-minded and lazy people who can't think or act for themselves, and refuse to accept any responsibility for the consequences of their own actions.

I'll give her credit though...I'm amazed. I honestly don't know what's even keeping her uterus in anymore.

I've never seen their show but never heard anything bad about it - child services is not being called (aka Octo-mom or Kate Plus 8). This is really only their business, I think their faith has a lot to do with it and personally, I wouldn't want 20 children but there are plenty of people who would not want 6 large dogs in their house (as I do).

This is not a news story to me. I do hope that both mother and baby are OK. It doesn't really matter if you agree or disagree with their decisions, they don't comment on your life and you don't have to watch the TV show. So, leaving it at that, the only choice is to wish that the mother and child are healthy and happy.

I agree with the posters who say that risking either life is insane, and there is a good chance that something will go wrong, they are hedging their odds at this point, do I think 20 children is a "normal" family, no - but it's not for me to decide. I think it's obvious that they won't stop having children until her body actually cannot - hopefully, it will be a hysterectomy and not a fatal event.

Preceded- they're so anti- birth control that they normally wean the baby from breastfeeding to formula at six months so that they get pregnant again faster.

When I was younger, I wanted 20 kids. I absolutely love raising children, being a parent, and I loved being a part of a large family myself (one in six). I opted to stop long before ever hitting that mark, because it wouldn't have worked in my financial situation.

The Duggars have been interviewed and have probably the most healthy, happy, well-adjusted kids I have seen in a long time. They all get one-on-one time with their parents. They all have learned to share and live well within their means. Greg, they are on television. My guess is their tax bill exceeds yours and mine.

I welcome differing opinions about their choices as just being different, not wrong. Were they like octo-idiot, I'd have issues. These are sweet people. I'm on the side of those who leave their noses out of another woman's uterus.

Oh man that's a lot of kids... that's gotta be extremely hard on her body too. If I ever decide to have kids my limit is 3. It's what I've grown up with for most of my life (until my mom had another baby 3 years ago) and I enjoy my siblings. Gotta survive college first though :P

These people are carrying a good thing way too far.

I am all for a woman's choice and the right to privacy. 100%.

It just seems to me that the Dugger attention has died down and now they want to re-annoy the world with their "good news".

If we are going to be forced to see this kind of stuff, please bring back Octo-mom, she could probably use the financial support this kind of attention would give.

They do not live on welfare.

No, instead they claimed their house to be a church to get out of paying taxes.

They also use their older kids - when they aren't even old enough to be taking care of themselves - as free childcare for the younger ones. And free labor to build their house.

Those kids should be playing, not being put to work raising their siblings because their parents keep popping out kids they can't take care of.

After what happened last time, this is dangerous. Putting it in God's hands? How about this: God created doctors to study, and help spread the word to His people, about what is safe and what isn't. They're not just there to clean up messes when people like the Duggars ignore the warnings.

I think these people are wacked and she needs to close her damn legs!!

The world's population in 1900 was 1.6 billion. Last month it went over 7 billion. Over population a myth? Yea, only if you are a moron! Time to pull the tax exemption for children after the first three. From what I have seen of this family it is simply children raising children with very little quality time from mom and dad. Think about it spending a half hour with each child takes 10 hours a day.

Maddysmommy: How about he keeps his pants zipped up. I woman doesn't get pg by herself, (normally) but she always gets the blame. As for you being someone's mom...I doubt it.

I cannot believe how dispicable some of you posters are. What is wrong with our society?? This family has raised not just one decent, productive and responsible kid but 20 of them. Thank goodness, because they are picking up the slack for a bunch of dimwitted, entitled, whiners who have nothing better to do than attack a decent family because it makes them feel more secure about themselves. Here is a news flash: Your priorites are wacked-You judge and then cry foul when others challange you on it. You shake your fist at God and then proclaim yourself to be one. Its really just sad and pathetic and shows your inconsistancy.

It doesn't mean this is the only way to have a family, but it works for them. They set a good example for their kids from day one and stuck with it. I for one think this world could use 20 more kind people and I wish them well.

I have no clue why you people are mad. They pay their own bills, and IF they use their house as a loop hole to get out of taxes, good for them. I wish I could find a good loop hole. They shop at goodwill or make their clothes (so their kids know how to sew). They cook most meals at home (so their kids know how to cook). They actually home school (so they don't fill up class rooms or use the bus system or free lunch system). The comment about the kids being outside playing instead of working around the house is INSANE. Uh, my kids have chores. Does that make me a slave driver? It's called teaching responsibility. They play all the time. The entire bottom of their house (which is paid for OUT RIGHT) is a play area for the kids, not to mention they have property.

That's right they have ZERO debt. They save up and then pay for stuff when they can afford it (so their kids know how to be financially responsible). Crazy idea. What else. The daughters last I knew were volunteer firefighters and can change the oil in the car. Have you ever heard these kids talk? They are very articulate, and are definitely individuals. They also take a trip each year to an orphanage in Costa Rica and help out kids with AIDS.

Ever hear any news stories from people around them saying how really behind the cameras they are horrible people? My guess is what you see is what you get. The media would tear these folks down in a hot second if they had any dirt.

@ woodrow: Who the heck is shaking their fist at God??? People are complaining about these baby-makers who have turned child bearing into some kind of horrible joke. Just what does Jim-Bob-Boy do for a living that he can afford to feed and insure this large group? I don't watch reality t.v. (GAG!), so I don't know what Mr. Duggar does for a living ... So nice of them to go on a major network show to announce having yet another baby. Wonder how much $$ they earned from that. I assume the t.v. show and this sort of public parading of their private lives is how they can afford all these kids. I'm not attacking what they do, but I do find it peculiar, given the fact that the last birth was so difficult ...

Being pro-life does not mean keep having kids all your life, call it what you will, i am not in favor of abortion to be honest, although I have absolutely no problem with it providing there is a problem like incest, rape or medical.

I think way too many people and kids are getting pregnant,knowing that they can just get rid of it if they don't want it,and I think that's a shame.

Why not teach your kids better, have them learn a bit of responsibility about having sex due to peer pressure, and if they do how about making sure you don't get pregnant, that responsibility goes both ways, a girl that does not want to get pregnant will make sure she never does period, no matter what line of crap a guy feeds her!

Oh yeah back to the story, this is too much already with these people, this is almost pushing child abuse and even suicide if you think about it,I don't know if this is a religious thing with these people or a money thing, if it is a money thing they are screwed cause that means they only see being able to support this life is too keep having kids so that it makes for an interesting show, people are going to get bored with this sooner or later and then who is going to feed these people?

I don't see a happy ending here!

No one can eat that much ice cream!

What a stupid biblical family. Woodrow, I'll take a quick jab at this one, since you made a straw man out of people on this thread.....

It's 2011 CE, and people still practice the ignoramous concepts that were put in place by the roman Catholic church in the dark age's. People needed guidance when the plague swept Europe, and the church said BREED! You needed kids to work the field.... Yet another pre-industrial/agricultural revolution concept. This is a three ring religious circus act that has moved far past the level of sanity required to be taken seriously. This craziness has stepped into the "immoral" catagory, which only the religious could see as being otherwise. The facts of this claim are simple: The women has not only detremented her own well being, but now is preparing to crap out another kid, like the last, that stands a better than probable chance of dying or at least inheriting a lasting birth defect. All for, might I add, a faith that is as dellusional as it is stupid.

There... I humored you.

Enough already,

20???

Too many, why didn't they adopt.

"I'm Pro-Choice, unless you make choices I don't agree with. Then I get angry and yell and throw hate rhetoric at you..."

All I see is a bunch of hypocrisy on this page. I guess Pro-Choice only applies to those who want to abort their children, not to those who want to have more.

It's - Her Life -, - Her Choice -, fear mongering ruins societies.

Dumbest comment ever was the analogy to Kelly Preston!KP had two children, one of which tragically passed away.She also was a great physical health and not OVERWEIGHT to begin with!!

@John Doe-2241225

Before you jump on that "her life, her choice" bandwagon, consider this: Would you want to be that child? Not aborted before you developed a sense of conciousness (which the child as far as I understood, hasn't been concieved yet), but to most likely slither out of that wrecked womb several of weeks before you're supposed to, and if you didn't die you'd most likely be autistic or severely deformed or underdeveloped? Then, later in life if you have your mental faculties about you, be told that you were lucky number 20 in a religious fundamentalist stunt?

inmissouri : Do you know for a fact that they wean their children to get pregnant faster? Let me tell you (and any doctor will agree) you can still get pregnant while you are breastfeeding. I, for one, am a perfect example, as well as several of my friends. They may have had other reasons to stop breastfeeding. I don't think that is anything to be critical about.

@Gary, LOLZ!

This is UNBELIEVABLE!

A large family can be nice - up to a certain point.

There is no way that 2 parents can give 20 children the love, emotional assurance, confidence and financial support that each child needs and deserves.

These 2 parents have to be physically and emotionally worn out...on some level.

However, they probably are very good at hiding the above fact.

When does this "mother"/woman intend to stop?

At some point, she will be forced to stop.

Her body will no longer be able to maintain the constant state of reproduction that this woman places her body in.

I hope that Mrs. Dugger will make the sound decision that 20 is MORE THAN ENOUGH.

For the sake of the 20 children the worse but possible scenario is - a medical crises will occur and she will have unnecessarily orphaned 20 innocent lives.

I do not think that God is in agreement with this nonsense!

Just disturbing. We all know it is the other kids who are actually taking care of the younger kids. Try the rhythm method, try the Bio-self .......please just stop already.

You do know whose taxes are paying for their education don't you? It costs about $12,000 a year to educate a child. So even if 15 are in school that is a tax burden on the rest of the population of $180,000 a year. And who is paying for the health care, food, clothing and extras? They live in Miss?

I just read their story and I am wrong the children are home schooled. Although the tv shows did help build and equip the 7000 sq ft home.

Absolutely terrible and shocking story and people. My father in law was one of 17 and my ex wife had an uncle with 36, two wives, one 24 and one 12. I am very happy to say I have only 2 children.

Their last baby was born 3 months premature and weighed a little over 1 lb. These are very stupid people.

They're "pro life". I guess that means you keep having kids no matter the health threats to mother or baby.

or could they be pro-choice and just choose to have 20 kids --- it's none of our business. I swear - the pro-choice people crawl out the woodwork when there is a story about this family. Why don't you just own to up to what you really are--- pro-ABORTION. Choice is a two-way street, so you have to support her unless you're a hypocrit, of course.

You are kind of misrepresenting the meaning of "pro-life and pro-choice." This is terminology to be used in an unplanned pregnancy, of any variety. I'm sure you're aware of some of the more violent natured reasons for needing to make this choice. This case as I have stated above, is a dogmatic stunt. I heavily criticize the intentions of this family, and there need not be a "pro-life" debate on this subject. This motherf**cker needs to wrap his disco stick before braving the bottomless pit, it's that simple. Not every ejaculation needs to fertilize. Pro-choice doesn't mean the women should be used as a brood mare and keep cranking out kids until they realize that the last two or three came out autistic... This is just extremely poor judgement, and even worse is the ideology behind it.

No one can yet claim for the Duggars, success of having raised 20 good, moral, intelligent, well behaved children! Why? Because only one of them has actually left the family nest and struck out on their own - and has yet to match the determined fertility of his mother. When the last one leaves the roost, then they can brag. But, as many children raised in an extreme conservative environment... mark my words, there WILL be rebellion! HINT: The eldest children are the easiest to control.

Agreed. I hear from one of the posts above that the children are all home schooled. This is very sad and as you said is postured for rebellion. When those kids get out into the world and realize that their creativity and capacity for rational thought had been surpressed, they will only grown to dispise their parents. I see this all to often in teens that end up as drug abusers. Most often they were home schooled with only one piece of literature on the book shelf. I'm sure you can catch my drift.

Shelly from NC, I believe that some previous articles stated that Mrs. Duggar weans her babies after 6 months, although I don't know if it is to allow her to get pregnant faster.

When I was in college, I knew someone who was the oldest of 6. When she was in high school, her parents tried to make her babysit her younger siblings. She resented being the free help and mouthed off to them that they "had their fun, now they should take responsibility for them".

Anyone know if this is how the Westboro Church started? I heard the members of that church are all related and having a family of 20 certainly sounds like they could be starting one of these type of churches (I read the Duggars claim to be a church to not pay property taxes).

As for families with that many children in the past, yes, we were a mostly agricultural society and the family farms needed many hands to help. Also, in many of those families in the past, there was a high infant mortality rate, so while there might have been 20 children, only a fraction survived to adulthood.

Mercury: It's really not any of our business if they pay taxes or not for church status; the only people that are angry about that are liberals who reject anything that has to do with God, which for them has to do with jealousy.

As for your friend in college, it sounds to me like she just wanted to have fun all her life and not care about what happens to her family. I grew up with siblings and lots of cousins with whom I had to look out for. You know what, now that I am older, they wait on me! They consider it to be payment for all the times I took care of them.

It's too much. There are 7 billion reasons why it is too much. They may not be costing taxpayers for school, but they are for medical help for the mother, who is likely to have trouble again. If their children all plan to be monastic, it might work: maybe 2 could have children, the other 18 go to monasteries or convents and help others. But if their children each have families, it will continue the burden on the world. What species have to go extinct just to fit them in?

I hope that homeschooling works for them: but I doubt it, as the children spend their time in parenting. Where will be the doctors that were raised in this family? They will need doctors, if this family continues its population conquest. Are all those children capable of college? At the very least, in an atmosphere of obedience, how well do these children understand the concepts of freedom and critical thinking? If they choose monastic lives I wish them well. Otherwise, I wish they would stop portraying this as anything other than social vampirism.

Lets look at JUST the facts:
-Having numerous children is not good for anyones body (especially a mans)
-As a parent, YOU are responsible for that child for no less than 18 years, or until the child gets sick of you and tries to become emancipated
-The last child and mother almost died

Now, lets look at some math:
-20 kids
-If these 20 kids had 20 kids: 400 children scattered over the next 20 years
-If those 400 kids had 20 kids: 8,000 kids (town size)
-If those 8,000 kids had 20 kids: 160,000 (city size)

SO, in the matter of 60 years, their name could have grown to a city sized clan. Then, they may paint their faces blue and say "this is my island!"

Absurd to have that many children. As mentioned in previous posts, i think it is awesome that they are still doing the "shiggidy diggity" and are still married!

But, STOP SPITTING OUT MORE CHILDREN WHACKO's!

If each of their kids do the same, and so do theirs, they would have 8,842 great-grand-kids.
It's like they are the living human equivalent of cancer. Cancer is not bad, unless you happen to be any other cell in the same body, then it is. Unless people like this live somewhere other than the same planet as the rest of us, they are bad for us. Over-population is most definitely not a myth.
30 minutes a day per kid takes 10-hours, that is not quality time. I get more face-time with my coworkers.
Well rounded kids, well, not really. If I had the sick desire to, I could raise a bunch of kids to think pretty much anything I wanted, and keeping them separate from society by home-schooling would ensure that they would have little reason to doubt anything I said.
You are supposed to change your shoes after 6 months, or it can lead to issues, are each of these 20 kids getting their older siblings shoes? Tooth-brushes? Underwear? Glasses? Just where else do they cut corners?
How can you have individualism being J-name 16?
I doubt she is home-schooling at 20 different levels, so I'm guessing each is teaching the younger. I guess it's a good thing kids are never lazy, and never take a shortcuts ever. I guess that's why all kids never need adult supervision.
Wouldn't 20 kids cost about $2000 a month in health insurance alone? Let alone food, hell vitamins by themselves must cost $200 for a month.
How does one live in a church, can others come to their church, can you have a private church?
I have seen home-school workbooks for the high-school age kids, they are more of what you would see in a 4th and 5th grade class. They will not be well prepared for college.
Pro-Choice means the it's woman's choice, but if a woman or a man wanted to eat glass, then yes, it might not be the best thing to let someone like that choose just what they do. She is basically attempting suicide by having one more, and for a woman with no or two children, I can see how that could be acceptable choice she could make, but that is clearly not the case here, she is every bit as crazy when it comes to having babies as Octomom, this lady just has a husband.

@slightlyold....yes...your right....ive made up the fact that im a mom just cause i think its makes me sound real cool....DUH!!! i dont have a daughter named maddy and today is not her 6th birthday you moron!! i bet you made up the fact that your slightly old too, your probably really old....am i right? the fact of the matter is, she could say no, she is the one that has to carry these babies for 9 months each time and it absolutely is her fault that she continues to let it happen...sorry your a bitter man hater that wants to put all the blame on him, im not, and i dont!

like some one posted before and it's appropoe "it's a vigina ,not a clown car!"

I hope they're charged with child abuse when this baby is born at 1 pound and is kept alive on life support.

If they are charged, every couple who has a premature child born should be charged too...I know several who would be in prison right now...what a stupid comment.

WoodieRae, you wrote, "It is not our business what she does with her body. She is a demonstrated loving mother. They do not live on welfare. "

Really? With all of these dependents, are they paying taxes at all? Are they paying as much as their neighbors who have small families? And what about the horrendous medical bills for baby #19? Someone's picking that up, and it isn't them. They may have insurance, but everyone else is supplementing them.

Oh, I hope, I hope, I hope, that a bunch of the duggar kids get pregnant out of wedlock and expect the parents to help raise the kids.

It can't be wrong, right? After all, their parents taught them you can screw around and someone else will do all the work when the baby comes!

And..............the 20th was a misscarry....... Thought I'd show up on this thread to say to the moron's that I told you so.

In every interview I've seen with this family, it is clear that this woman only cares about babies. Once it is no longer a cute little baby she doesn't give a crap anymore.

I bet if you put them on a stage and asked the parents one thing that each kid did yesterday they couldn't answer. Sick people.

I bet you're absolutely right, EngEsq, about the "parents" not knowing what each kid did yesterday! Terrible for these children.

What I'd like to know who is why does NBC and "TODAY" keep this thing going? This is truly sick and disgusting.

Because NBC and the Today show are sick and disgusting...

It's because it sells. Every poster in here is proof positive as to why they broadcast it. Interest.

Mark my words...this woman will not live to see 60. I do NOT wish death upon people, and I hope my prediction doesn't come to be true, but her body is going to break down. Both mother and baby are at high risk at this point, a lesson they obviously didn't learn from the last pregnancy (maybe God was giving them a warning, they obviously missed it)!!

psolaris- that's my worry. I really hope the mom and baby make it through ok, but the mom needs a hysterectomy. Otherwise they'll keep going till the mom dies due to complications.

After her last childbirth incedent and the risk of this preganancy, why would they would even concider having another baby....They already have two grandchildren from thier oldest son and i`m sure they will have many more..Time to close this chapter in thier life and focuse on grandchildren..Rename the show " Duggers Two Grandchildren and Counting " Just saying...

@WoodieRae-3499404

It's none of our business? It became our business when they started making money off of "us" watching their show. They deserve every bit of criticism they're getting.

Woodie, YOU don't have to watch. They are NOT making money off of you!

I hope not, Jo D...(no matter what side of this issue folks are on...too much of a good thing is still too much.)

My father in law comes from a huge family(11 children), but the pendulum swung the other way with the kids. Some opted to have no children, and the rest had just one or two later in life. Seems they had to use their adulthood to experience all the things they missed as kids.

I do agree, having that many kids in todays world is terribly unfair to the siblings. I hope she'll be OK....but it's a sad hand she's dealing herself.

Aren't they part of that whacked out xian cult the "quiverfull" movement?

http://nolongerquivering.com/

A morbid fascination with "how does she do it" is not the same as "you shouldn't do it!" And her older children HAVE been interviewed and feel just as cherished as adults/older teens as they did while in diapers. The son, baby number two, has stayed close. If he didn't truly feel cherished, he'd bolt out of there.

If she adopted 20 kids and kept them as happy and healthy as her own, nobody would be complaining about it.

Lemonverbeena, it sells because the networks created this market.

Think about this one. If there were no TV shows about super-sized families, would you or anyone else be contacting the networks begging for such shows? The answer to that one is a resounding NO. But the media create these shows in order to create these markets. They do so simply by continuing to shove cameras and microphones into the faces of super-sized families. They keep media stories alive well after their overdue date by continuing to shove those cameras and microphones into the faces of the principals of such stories and into the faces of the "experts" who comment on them. None of the stories, including that of the Duggar idiots, are worth Warhol's "15 minutes of fame" but some of them go on for 15 years or more. It's a huge waste not only of the resources that have already been talked about here, but also of the network resources, resources that could and should be used to look into far more important stuff, and to educate us all on all of it.

WoodieRae-3499404, so their son stayed close. You'd stay close, too, if mommy and daddy gave you a house on their property and a business to run. Going elsewhere would simply be biting the hand that feeds them. But how do you do this, how do you provides houses on your property and a business to run, for 20 children? And since mommy and daddy are supplying so ridiculous an example, how do manage to keep track of potentially 400 (yes, 20 x 20 = 400) grandchildren?

rpearlston-don't forget the potential 8 thousand great grandkids!

Thought I read somewhere where she actually wanted 21 children.....if I am not mistaken..

This woman need psychological help and so does her husband. She seems to like the attention that pregnancy brings and both now love all the attention that having all these children brings imo.

When will the older daughters be free to have a life of their own...or are they only there to provide free nanny care for their mother and father with their propensity to breed like rabbits?

Even rabbits call it quits in the breeding dept after a while.....

Wouldn't surprise me if the daughters do not bother to get married or have any children as they are married to their job of raising someone elses kids... even if they are sibblings.....

Selfishness and selfcenteredness is selfishness and selfcenteredness.... and Ma and Pa Duggars are selfish and selfcentered imo. They seem to care only about their desires etc instead of the wellbeing of their own children.

When have these older children ever had the opportunity to be just children instead of being moms and dads to their sibblings or even being away from their sibblings or parents to explore the world outside their commune?

To those who admire this couple and what they are doing.... if they were a minority couple would you still feel the same way, or would you be spewing forth about irresponsible behaviour?

Who knows perhaps in the future the children will sue the network for the ruination of their childhood and life, by actively encouraging - by finacially rewarding - the irresponsible behaviour of their parents.... LOL

Does anyone realize that if Pa or Ma Duggars should die now (God forbid) that all those children under the age of 18 would be entitled to social security payments/ death benefits until they are 18 years of age if Ma and Pa Dugger is paying into the Social Security?

Imagine the amount of money that would be paid to this family for each child per month up to 18 years of age through Social Security..... Unbelievable....

Wonder which for profit private health insurance company is covering their health care cost.....?

Is Ma Duggars still covered or was even covered by a for profit private health insurance company, considering that she has pre-existing health conditions like high blood pressure/pre-eclampsia etc and previous premature births due to the many pregnancies and now more advanced age for pregnancy....? She probably reached her maximum payout limit/ceiling already.....

If no private health insurance coverage/group plan are they covered by public safety net health insurance like medicaid etc.....

Somebody teach this sick dumb bastard how to lay a hand on himself. What a freak show. Stop reporting on these useless idiots.

And her older children HAVE been interviewed and feel just as cherished as adults/older teens as they did while in diapers.

How do you actually know this??? You see, they can say anything in an interview and yet no one knows what goes on behind closed doors. There is NO way these kids can feel 100% loved by their parents. Their parents cannot possibly give them all they need emotionally! It's not possible.

As for those who are comparing the Duggars to grandparents who had 10+ kids, well, yup, that's what was done because you needed free labor to work the farm. And most of those women died young!

What I'd like to know who is why does NBC and "TODAY" keep this thing going?

Because the Today Show is just a National Enquirer on TV!

None of our business??????? She is not mothering these children, she is herding them! He didn't have the money to build the house for them! If he didn't get money from the tv networks, they would be on welfare!

The U.S. has to slow down immigration and start preserving our resources. China is running out of food and birth control is unknown in India. Muslims have large families 5-6-7 kids and it is time the U.S. started looking out for no. 1.

And for your information there are 7 billion people in the world and China in the first six months of this year increased its food imports 36%.

China is the same size as the U.S. and has half as much arable land and with the corruption the arable land is quickly getting degraded from deforestation, over use of pesticides and fertilizers and their water supply is decreasing dramatically. The problem with most people in the U.S. and all the fuc*ing politicians, is that none of them are planning for the next 50-100-200 years.

Not one is planning for your children, grandchildren or great grand children.

Oh yes to no one's surprise fundamentalist christians and live in Arkansas.

None of our business??????? She is not mothering these children, she is herding them! He didn't have the money to build the house for them! If he didn't get money from the tv networks, they would be on welfare!

They had 14 children BEFORE they had a show and they weren't on welfar then....they don't take government assistance- it can be done, obviously.

After her last birth a poster said it right " Please tell her it's a vagina not a clown car". I wish I could remember who it was so I can give credit to them.

THEIR "CLOSEST" FRIENDS A WHILE BACK SAID they did use food stamps up to early 2011! The producers of the show in multiple interviews have stated that this family WAS on food stamps . no more"they are not using tax dollars " cra@pplease! Who do you think partially paid for their 7025 sq. ft. house? partially funded by grants... that's tax money people!

Simply ignorant!!! You heard what the doctor said about this- it's dangerous and it's harmful to both mother and baby! BUT....these people don't believe in science; they believe in God. God wants them to have as many kids as they choose to, blah blah blah... absolutely irresponsible and utterly disgusting!

And for those who blabbing about "it's their right to reproduce"...Ahhhh, shut the (bleep) up already!

In a recent interview, the Duggar parents admitted that they mix their kids up, not being able to remember each kid's namenor being able to recite them in order of birth. The kids themselves admitted that they mix up each other's names, and it doesn't make it any easier that all they're names start with "J."

The older kids are given the job of taking care of the younger kids so Michelle can focus on caring for the babies (one premature). That's completely unfair, tasking your kids full-time with what should be the parents' job.

I feel sorry for the kids, not getting quality one-on-one attention from their parents and always being grouped together. And the parents often stereotype each kid's personality.

The Duggars have deranged religious ideas that keep women submissive, wearing only conservative long skirts or dresses, and in the kitchen or cleaning. None of the teens can date without chaperons and cannot kiss until they're married. These rules point to male dominance,CONTROL, and repression.

These kids are not groomed for college; rather they just follow into whatever job the Duggar family needs them to. And the kids are expected to model their families after the Duggars, having as many kids as they can produce (like rabbits). The parents expect each kid to have the exact same thoughts and values like little mindless robots.

Then they pimp their family out to this TV show, making a circus of parenting and earning money so they can support these kids. Then they use TV to evangelize their fundamentalist Christian faith - YUCK! Just don't watch their show...

Time for Mr. Duggar to get a vasectomy! Actually, that time came about 18 kids ago... Our Earth has a serious overpopulation problem and the Duggars are an embarrassment.

Who cares. At least then they'll stop breeding.

uh no i disagree with you. We are all born knowing the wrong from right because of the light of christ within us. There is a God. I never said i was perfect either so dont expect someone who is christian to be perfect thats not what being christian is. I just dont think people should be criticizing God just because the duggards believe in him. Some magic man in the sky is far from Who God is. Also people who live for money and Power do NOT live for God they live for money and Power.

When large families were the norm, it was also normal for the older children to take care of the younger while the mother concentrated on the toddlers and infant

As a resident "living fossil," I went to school with other children who had many brothers and sisters. In one of them, the oldest, a daughter, had graduated from college, gotten married and had a child of her own when her youngest brother was born! My high school classmate from this family was the forth (or maybe, fifth) child.

@Goat Rancher Bob,

Please contact Mr. Duggars and tell him you have a very pretty young female goat just for his enjoyment.......LOL

And, yes, the Duggar children are already reproducing. I know they have one grandchild now, and I think another grandchild is on the way. Enough.

I honestly don't think that Jim Bob/Billy Bob really is concerned with her health or the health of the potential baby when he's wanting some lovin'. I personally feel like she should be adult enough to tell him,"hey, enough is enough", you come at me again with that thing and I'm going to break it off and feed it to you.

Honestly, who cares? Their religious beliefs don't effect you. They are doing what they believe in and they have the right to do so. I think it is interesting that a lot of people who believe that she should have her uterus removed and be charged with child abuse for putting her baby at risk, are some of the same people who scream from the highest rooftops that a woman has the right to choose. Funny how it is a "baby" when it suits your argument, and a "fetus" when it doesn't. They can believe whatever they want to believe and they can have as many babies as they want for all I care.

And as for them admitting that they can't keep their kids' names straight... I only have one and I once called her "Kanga", which is the name of my dad's cat. Her name isn't even remotely close to Kanga. There were five kids in my family growing up, and my parents constantly went through 3 or 4 names before landing on the right one. I don't think it has anything to do with the quality of their parenting. My daughter is well loved, and gets a good giggle out of her mother's memory lapses.

@#3- Right on Geneut! Jim seems to be a controlling, egotistical idiot, who's motto is "keep'em barefoot and pregnant." He should be sterilized simply to avoid any more of his offspring from being conceived or born.

What bothers me the most about this is that they are getting paid to breed. Their children are suffering because of it and I find it wrong. How do we rectify this? STOP WATCHING THEIR SHOW! No ratings, no show! I refuse to watch anything with these idiots on it because of their radical beliefs (especially where their girls are involved). Their parenting style offends me, as they don't truly "parent". Their older children parent the younger ones while the mother continually breeds and nurses. She is virtually incapacitated due to her constant breeding and her older children take over the duties of caring for an abnormally large family, from caring for the younger ones, to doing all the household chores, which is a hardship in a family of eighteen (two of the older ones have married, I believe, and are out of the home). This is in addition to having to try and obtain a semblance of an education, which the Duggars' don't seem to hold in high regard (especially for their girls). I just don't think they should be paid by having a television show to support this type of bizarre behavior.

Goat Rancher Bob, everything that you said is true, but you're missing a bunch of stuff that is equally true, and that puts your remarks and this family into entirely different categories.

When you were growing up, couples had large families knowing that the odds that every one of those children would reach adulthood were extremely slim. The had that many children so there would be enough children who survived all of the dangerous and contagious childhood illnesses and who survived or weren't involved in accidents to make certain that there would be grandchildren and that there would enough adult children to help the parents should they survive long enough to need help. This is the same rationale that is still in use today in too many people in third world countries to whom education, minimal health care, vaccines and minimum hygiene levels aren't properly available.

Those conditions no longer exist in much of the "western" world, and there is no longer a need of any sort to have super-sized families as old age insurance policies.

rpearlston, I don't know how old Rancher Bob is, but I'm in my mid-thirties and had several classmates that came from large families. True, most were farm kids, but a few were teachers' children. (Our football coach and his wife had nine children--eight boys and one girl born just before the end of production.) None that I recall were being raised by religious,quiverful-type zealots. Some people just love being surrounded by a brood of children. I can't remember any of those kids ever getting in serious trouble, either as kids or as adults.

um...it takes two...

Honestly, who cares? Their religious beliefs don't effect you. They are doing what they believe in and they have the right to do so. I think it is interesting that a lot of people who believe that she should have her uterus removed and be charged with child abuse for putting her baby at risk, are some of the same people who scream from the highest rooftops that a woman has the right to choose. Funny how it is a "baby" when it suits your argument, and a "fetus" when it doesn't. They can believe whatever they want to believe and they can have as many babies as they want for all I care.

AMEN!!!!!!! Pro-choice is really just code for pro-abortion....they just don't want to admit it.

AMEN!!!!!!! Pro-choice is really just code for pro-abortion....they just don't want to admit it.

Funny, because I am pro-choice, and yet I am not pro-abortion. Looks like you're wrong

A magic man in the sky....... now that is appauling to me. If nothing matters in this life and there is no reason for anything than who gives a flying f about anything. who cares about them, who cares about you. You will see some day that there is more to life than money and power and being cool. Life is about love and families and there is a God and you will find out.

well you all sure are just so cute with your hate filled little (very small) comments. Lets see super ass....

You will I am sure discover you are hateful idiots.

Your own post sounds rather hateful.

A magic man in the sky....... now that is appauling to me. If nothing matters in this life and there is no reason for anything than who gives a flying f about anything. who cares about them, who cares about you. You will see some day that there is more to life than money and power and being cool. Life is about love and families and there is a God and you will find out.

You don't have to believe in god to believe in a higher purpose or to love your neighbor. That's silly. As a christian, do you stop before you help someone and think "Would god want me to help this person? Yes? Ok, I'll do it." No. You were raised to help people and I assume it just comes naturally, because it does for me without any belief in a higher power. Being helpful and loving is not a trait that Christians have a monopoly on.

Many people who live for power/money believe in god.

I have to agree with you John. These are not just posts, these posts are hate-driven. I don't understand the passion behind the hatred. Disagree with it, fine, but this is overboard.

Is Michelle Duggar's life for me? No, not even close. Do I think she should stop? It's not for me to decide. Why is it not for me to decide? Because of freedoms we all enjoy. I don't want anyone to be able to tell me I can't have a baby for any reason. It is my choice. This is HER choice. Their family is not on welfare so no one can use the "we're footing the bill for them" excuse to be hateful. She had 14 or more children before TLC came into the picture. If there wasn't interest, this show wouldn't be on 10 times a day.

They don't bother anybody, so why doesn't everyone mind their own business? Don't watch TLC if you don't like them, sheeesh. Get a life people.

well sally... Some people want to loose 20 lbs of ugly fat and in a fog of stupidity they cut off there heads. Well... never mind for some that's the best option. I was responding to many over the top ridiculous post (read on their are many more). I directed at no one imparticular and no small set of people and their personal family choices that don't effect me personally

They don't bother anybody, so why doesn't everyone mind their own business?

They BOTHER the fxxk out of me. I don't watch TLC, but they are fxxking everywhere on the media. As you read thru the news, OOPS! Wacko couple expecting baby #xyz..... WTF?!

well sally... Some people want to loose 20 lbs of ugly fat and in a fog of stupidity they cut off there heads. Well... never mind for some that's the best option.

You still sound just as hateful as the people you're posting about.

Sally additionally consider this. If their is one creator he put those things you mention in us weather we believe or not. Evolution would hardly explain developing love for fellow man. Survival of the fittest and natural selection would suggest going in opposite directions in my opinion. Think Humor Sally. I'm not always going to be nice to jackasses. It's a fault I have. Maybe I should look to the Duggers for inspiration. I'm not really saying people should cut their heads off. I just fantasize about a better world. Just kidding....I think

We are social animals. We lived this long by grouping up. So we evolved to get along with each other. It's no different than a pod of dolphins, a pride of lions or a pack of wolves. They are all family oriented, defend each other, and bond together. It's how they've survived.

I'm just pointing out it doesn't make much sense to bash the posters for being hateful while your own posts were rather hateful themselves.

don't buy that stuff. Lion prides fight for the right to breed. They run others out of the pride to survive and can be brutal. Male deer kill each other when they have to compete. And it's the same with dolphin's and wolves. They are social to hunt successfully. They don't Hunt to be social. Being loving (and I am not saying everyone is) doesn't favor our survivability without Justice and discipline to go with it. We didn't just "group up". We are that way because we are made in his image but falling away is sometimes easier than obedience. It's a good thing we weren't really asking how safe a simple first or second pregnacey was in the 16 century. I think I can say MS Dugger mortality is better today with 19 births behind her. No pregnancy is without risk. Hence the absurdity of many of these posts here. I didn't make them look silly. There posts do

And I don't buy your god stuff.

Lions fighting off other lions helps their gene pool. The male lion mates with all the females in the pride. If you keep the same male around for too long, genetic issues arise because of inbreeding. Same with wolves. You only have one pair mate. Keep that up for too long and you get issues. But even though they fight, you can't deny that they are social creatures that bond and protect each other. And besides, male humans fight other males all the time for girls. Are you trying to say that means we aren't social creatures? Because we fight?

They need each other to survive. They are social for protection and for food. So they developed to be social. We were social for protection. Our brains developed more, we developed speech and developed more emotionally. Hence love. But it was this group state that helped us get there, and it's because of it that we're still a social animal.

I'm assuming you think fossils were buried throughout the earth by the devil.

How can you fall away if you were never raised to believe in god anyways?

I didn't say you made them look silly. I said you were complaining about them being hateful but you were just as hateful.

Actually if you're helpful and loving simply because you're worried about what God thinks that doesn't say much about you as a person. Whether I believe in a higher power or not is irrevelant to me acting like a decent human being, which I would choose to do whether there was a God or not.

This is a really sick pair. They don't really give a damn about their children but keep on having more. Right now they - at best - can devote 45 minutes to each child - certainly not enough to nurture. They just care about themselves and their TV show. Pathetic. And, why are they continually reported on? Just ignore them.

I shudder to think of the state of Michelle's reproductive organs - stretched and worn, probably dropping out through her va-jay-jay, causing urinary incontinence and pain, and leaving an entrance a train could steam through. Her breasts must also be stretched down to her hips and flab dominates.

How the father gets any pleasure out of this, I can't imagine. Not that it's just Michelle's fault... it's their blind adherence to their crazy religious beliefs.

I wonder how they're going to feel when they discover that there is no "man in the sky" and that they've been talking to themselves all these years?

leaving an entrance a train could steam through.

+1,000,000

ttmadison, when you discover that there IS God, how do you think you will be able to stand before Him? I pray that you find Him. Life is filled with His presence and the peace is amazing!

Linda, and what if there is no god? Or not the god you expected?

The problem with Pascals wager is that it breaks down when you include the 1500+ gods that humans have thought up, and the possibility of ones we do not even know.

Will Zeus be more pissed at Christians or atheists?

Linda M and other good Christians here: Do you believe in Zeus? No. Do you believe in Aphrodite? No. Do you believe in Allah? No.

So see? I just believe in one less god than you. I dismiss your god as being as mythical as the above. I'm good to others because I'm a good person, not because I'm afraid of your hell. I'm not afraid of dying, again because I'm not afraid of your hell.

As how this relates to the Duggars? They say they're following a mythical guy-in-the-sky's instructions. When they have a 24-week baby come out and be blind, deaf, mentally challenged, and respirator dependent, it'll be the same guy-in-the-sky's gift. ::shaking head::

Dana- regardless of how many kids people have, the older kids are always responsible for the younger kids. Think about it.

zieg, you couldn't be more wrong! I am the youngest of 4 and my siblings were not saddled with the responsibility of parenting me. Sure, if it was convenient, they may have kept an eye on me but I don't recall them even babysitting me.

In our family, it's adults who are responsible for children. I was put in the care of aunts and uncles if need be but not other children.

My nieces and nephews who have several children have the same values. We adults lend a hand when it is needed. But then, we're normal people.

Hey I think the kids are absolutely happy with there life. there is no need to feel sorry for them. I bet their life is better than mine. I dont believe in spoiling one kid anyway. In the real world knowone cares about eachother anyway. my freaking neck has been killing me for days and my husband wants his feet rubbed everynight and the kids want dinner everynight and the house needs cleaned 5 times a day. Wheres my attention. When Im sick life goes on. Its good that these kids are finding out now that they arent the only ones in the universe while they are young. They can learn to be more giving and not expect to much. I was a little spoiled and now im miserable, life just aint the same being an adult. I wished my whole childhood for a large family. Large families are awesome.

I was the middle of three, jkatze. My older sister (two years older) babysat both my younger sister and myself.

Three children, all two years apart, and the oldest babysat us plenty of times.

Of course, that was with a single mother raising three children. You used plural 'adults', so I'm assuming you had two parents, and were maybe fortunate that one stayed home with you.

I had one parent who worked 80/hr workweeks.

jkatze: Your parents had 4 children...the Duggars will have 20. You can't compare your situation to theirs. It's not the adults in the family who are responsible for the Duggars kids.

Julie, that's what jkatze was saying. Their reply was to the statement "regardless of how many kids people have, the older kids are always responsible for the younger kids. Think about it."

Which is just not true, as jkatze pointed out.

Stephgirl - See the problem is that those older kids being saddled with the little kids impedes their ability to learn the things they need to succeed in life. I can assure you that if they aspire to be anything more than a baby mill like their mother they need to know more than how to have a baby on the hip while you cook tater tot casserole for 20+ people.

Also, when trying to argue a point please at least attempt to use proper spelling and grammar. How the hell do you spell "no one" wrong?! *head desk*

Now back to doing my duties as a stay at home mother ... you know ... dishes, laundry, and taking care of my kids.

For those of you who think that the older children (and here, you should actually be thinking only the older girls) are being taught responsibility, etc, think about it this way.

The older daughters are being used as parents, as housekeepers, as nursemaids, etc. With the exceptions of experiencing pregnancy, childbirth, nursing and fiscal problems, the older girls are experiencing precisely what teen aged mothers experience. Those of you who are praising this group of stupid idiots as good parents, etc., are the same people who would be screaming bloody murder at teen aged mothers. You don't get to have it both ways.

Ferrferr, that is absolutely not true that taking care of those kids impeds their ability to learn things to be successfull. I started raising my autistic brother with I was 6 or 7 because my mom worked 100 hr weeks to be able to support 3 kids by herself and when my sister was born when I was 15, I raised her as well. Raising kids didnt imped my success... I actually think it helped. It taught me responsibility and dedication even when I was fed up and wanted to quit. I've since graduated from college early, moved from the middle of nowhere to NYC and have a fantastic job where I started off in an upper management position. People say I'm extreamy successful.

The things most important to success are the characteristics you develope from life; yes college and knowing what 2+2 equals helps, but you can know all the facts in the world but if you dont have the right characteristics to apply that knowledge then you are SOL.

So where does daycare fit into this cacophony of responses? Isn't that someone else raising another's child? Are those children any less loved or cared for because the parent(s) work?

@cgizzy: No way. NO WAY does someone who spells as badly as you do have a cush job in NYC. "Impeds"? "Extreamy"? "Develope"? Come on.

Then explain to me cgizzy, why so many teen mothers struggle to even graduate high school? The Duggar kids are homeschooled, and while I am myself an advocate of homeschooling, I am well aware that raising a child in conjunction with attempting to complete schoolwork is difficult at best. Their daughters are not being given the opportunity to have a solid education as they are assigned to care for the young children, wash clothes, and cook meals for the family. I doubt being in charge of such tasks for a family so excessively large doesn't leave much time for studies.

Stephgirl-

Are you even old enough to be posting comments on Newsvine??? By the looks of you post you need to be in school-preferably English class!! Come back when you have learned some intelligence!!!

BarbaraB-810840:

Do you "learn some" intelligence? Or do you aquire it? Are you aware that adding extra ???!!!!! doesn't do much for your argument?

You know the saying about glass houses, I hope...?

Megan Herr-

Maybe in this case she needs to return to school to learn how to acquire this intelligence .

Were you not taught not to throw rocks inside the house?????

Your spelling?? -what is "aquire."

You're right, I did spell that wrong.

You couldn't even spell my name right, though, and it was sittin' in front of you. :)

Don't forget that tax payers are picking up their health care tab, they are a church and thus have tax exempt status, and each of those kids is going to cost society a bundle once the show is over.

These people are beyond irresponsible.

Right you are, EngEsq. I'd forgotten they marketed their own peculiar brand of religion and the ensuing tax credits.

Where are you getting that information? These people support themselves and their children with real estate investments. Why would you assume they "are a church?" And what makes you think that tax-exempt churches get taxpayer funded healthcare? There are plenty of reasons to complain about this family. There's no reason to just make stuff up to inflame prejudices.

capecod, He was a state representative for a short period of time and now gets lifetime health care for himself and his family paid for by the state.

Their home was declared a church, and as such they get a number of tax exemptions.

They receive over 80k in child deductions for their income.

Without the television show they will be leaches on society. And that show is fizzling out.

yes-the show is fizzing out that's why the pregnancy- name the baby Nielsen

I think it would have to be named J' Nielsen to keep up with the rest!! hahahaha

If you have 19 dependents there is no way you pay any taxes. We've been supporting them for years.

you dont support anyone more than anyone else. I hate people who think that stuff. people dont pay that much for all the luxeries we have in america. Like roads and bridges and all the other stuff that goes into maintaining our way of life. Be glad you werent born in Africa or another third world country. Now those are the kids that shouldnt be born. I feel so sorry for those kids over there with flies in their nose and disease and starving to death.

And just think....each of their litter will reproduce, compounding the problem. But hey! Their imaginary friend will be coming down from the sky soon, so who cares! These people are absolutely disgusting.

While the world population is 7 billion, the population in the U.S. has dropped, despite the Duggars 20 children. You can hardly blame the Duggars for global warming.

Sam Adams, do you have a copy of the Duggar's tax return you'd like to share with everyone? You know this how? I'm pretty sure their income from TLC has been lucrative, a show that is alive and well thanks to the interest it generates or it would have been off the air long ago!

Stephygirl, so you're saying that kids in Africa and other developing territories shouldn't be born... But kids in rural Arkansas have that right. That sounds mighty uncharitable and un-Christian to me.

Keep up the hypocrisy.

Lemonverbeena, When you have 19 dependents, it will cut 3700 dollars each off from their salay ($3700 x 21 (inc. with parents) = 77,700 dollars) If your salary is $150,000, it will remove 77,700 plus mortgages if have and property tax ($15,000). 150,000 - 77,700 - 2000 for child tax credits - 15,000 = 55,300 x Federal tax is 7,461 dollars.

Compare with family with 4 kids for 150,000 dollars is 21,912.50 dollars for Federal Tax. 14,351.5 dollars different on only Federal Tax.

The child tax credit is only $1000/dependent. For incomes over $110,000 (called the phase out range) the child tax credit is reduced by $50 for every $1000 above this threshold amount. And that is only assuming they can claim all of their children as dependents. And child credits only apply for children who are still under the age of 17 by the end of a fiscal year. 5 of their kids wouldn't even qualify based on their ages.

I didn't know that about the church thing getting them free health care. I guess I thought TLC was paying for it through a regular carrier.

it is Arkansas after all:)

ram - there isn't enough guilt in the world to make someone have 20 children!

They don't have time to take care of all the kids. They make the older kids parent the younger one's. How awful.

Don't watch their TV show and you won't encourage them. My grandparents had 11 children, another family in the same town had 19 back in the 40's and 50's. Even then there was amazement that any family would have that many children. In today's world it just doesn't make sense. God isn't sending them these kids, they are making them all on their own.

I agree. I'm the youngest of 6 and was unplanned. People in church would come up to my mom and ask her if she was done yet. Sad. Despite what some in large families might say, the eldest and youngest typically don't get along or relate well - and the younger ones are resented (varying degree) for having a childhood or having more opportunities the elder children didn't get to have.

It's sad that the blame of having so many kids is on the woman when it's the man who should be in control of his sperm.

I am the eldest of 10 and I can tell you, I absolutely HATED having to take care of all my siblings, especially when moms was in and out of the hospital having more and more. I was so happy (sad I know) when the doctor told her if she had one more child she would die. She then had her tubes tied. I guess that's why I only have 2 and they are 20 years apart.

I feel so sorry for the older children and can relate.

I'm sorry that bumpitybump and Gourmet10 have such unhappy families, but my experience as the youngest of 5 (unexpected but welcomed) was exactly the opposite. I am extremely close to all my siblings, including my oldest sister who is 12 years older. Yes, she helped take care of us, not because she had to but because she's a naturally caring person who loved us and wanted to do so. As adults we remain close (as we all are to our parents as well), and I return the favor by being an involved aunt to my nephews who mean everything to me. We all know that we will always have each other, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Now, that's not to express an opinion on the Duggars, which are a far cry more children and a different situation, but it's sad to see all the negative comments and misconceptions about large families. Every family is different based on a variety of circumstances - you can't make an accurate generalization about that sort of thing.

There are 4 children in my family and we are all close. But, I'm sorry, 20 is outrageous. It is clear this man and woman have no control and don't really care about anyone but themselves. Otherwise they would try to actually find time for each child and make their lives - and growing up - a great experience.

Crais P, every time that I happen (I'm NEVER looking for it) to see the intro to that show, my response is always the same - hey, we know what causes that these days. I didn't have too much of a problem with the concept of the Gosselin family because that was 2 sets of multiples - just two pregnancies that, combined, produced 8 kids. Yes, the Duggars have two(?) sets of multiples, but when you also factor in an early miscarriage, that will soon be 20 children in 19 pregnancies. No matter how you cut it, this couple is a pair of certifiable nut cases who between them have no sense of either responsibility or accountability to the rest of the planet.

sj-2099861

No where in my response did I say I had an unhappy life, I just got weary of taking care of so many siblings. I loved each and every one of the children, but there where times I just wanted to play without a little one attached to me or having to sit with one too small to play. As far as your situation, you were the youngest of 5, I was the eldest of 10. Totally different scenario I think.

I happened to be channel surfing last night and stopped on TLC. Well they were answering fan questions and someone asked the question about bringing another child into an over populated world. Their response was, that contrary to what everyone says, that the world is not overpopulated. They live in their own little messed up world.

Nobody needs more than three kids in this economy. I dated a man who was from a family of 16, and he had no table manners. Why? Because with THAT many kids, the Mother doesn't have the time to dedicate to each child. The Catholic Church ( I know the Duggars are not Catholic- just saying...)needs to wake up on it's stance on birth control too- this isn't God's will- it is free will of us to make decisions, and to have too many kids is not good for the planet, the kids or the family. Everybody loses.

So YOU have free will Joely, but since you don't feel the family should have that many kids you would take their free will away? I don't necessarily agree with that many children, but it is their right. First we will dictate how many children people can have, then who can have them and soon people will decide they can dictate who gets to live and who gets to die FREE WILL is only FREE when EVERYONE has a right to it.

These people can have as many kids as they want if Roe V Wade is not overturned.

Their choice versus my choice.

Ahetch - Roe Vs Wade has nothing to do with this family - what a ludicrous comparison.

It is well their right, but frankly, America doesn't need to hear about it. They can have 40 kids if she wishes to be pregnant for her entire life, but I do not believe they deserve a TV show for it nor do they deserve admiration from the media. They used their free will to have 19+ children. They used their free will and sought this attention and therefore sought public opinion. Free will does not come without consequences.

Ahetch - Roe Vs Wade has nothing to do with this family - what a ludicrous comparison.

It is not a ludicroud comparison --- choice is choice. If you want the legal right to choose an abortion, then you have to support that some will not ever make that choice. It's a two-way street - she made her choice and you can make yours.

Someone needs to tell the Duggars that a vagina is not a clown car.

They MAKE it our business when they put themselves all over the media! What they do in their dysfunctional family in no way affects my life. It affects the lives of their children!!! They'll all be left motherless if Michelle dies from complications which is a VERY REAL risk for her. The baby will no doubt be born very early due to Michelle's history of high blood pressure during pregnancy. While the 19th child seems well, there's no telling what developmental, physical, or learning disabilities she may have until she's older. They are making a CHOICE to give birth to another child while 100% aware that the risks to mom and baby are EXTREME. They are risking lives. If Michelle and Jim Bob decided to let their two year old play in traffic after weighing the risks and benefits, they would be in a world of trouble. But it's ok to risk the life of an unborn child???

Julie, don't watch the show, media issue solved. The Duggar's children aren't yours or anyone else's business. You should stop acting like Mrs. Kravitz!

Do you have any idea how many women get pregnant and have babies, all with terrible risks? What are you going to do, start parking yourself outside OB-GYN clinics and start butting into everyone's business?

Don't agree with it, fine that's your choice, but I doubt you'd stand for someone telling you what to do with your life.

Julie, I would assume you have free will to either change the channel, turn the TV off or not read the article. Lots of people risk their lives to have a child, whether it's their first or their 20th. They aren't hurting any of you - they aren't trying to convert you, they aren't asking you to babysit, watch their show, pay their bills, etc - why do you all feel the need to hate so much?

I have seen others post before that actually live near them.....talk about how aweful their children act when not being filmed. Also its not fair to make the older ones be in charge of raising the younger ones...they are not their kids.

fisherman's wife - you are wrong - the taxpayers absolutely pay for this stupid brood!

Julie-1468472, you're so very correct. But it gets worse from there. According to the article some of the problems that are common preemies have no impact on and really aren't picked up on, until they go to school. But between labors and hosoitalizations, Michelle Duggar home schools this huge litter. Is she a trained teacher or did she and her "wonderful" but equally brainless husband simply decide that going to a public school would "contaminate" their children with ideas that they don't want to understand or support? And if she's not a trained teacher, or even if she is and hasn't kept up with her own continuing education (as if she'd have time to do so - HAH!), is she going to be able to pick up on any developmental problems that surface in that manner?

When you stop and actually think about what this couple is doing to their progeny and to the world, the situation keeps getting more and more scary for everyone.

I just don't understand why people feel like they are entitled to know every last detail of these people's lives. There is a reason why the cameras aren't on 24-7. And there is a reason why you have your own life. Live it and stop worrying about other women's vaginas and what does or does not come out of them

Oh but this will be okay for them to suck off the system because they're Republicans!!!

No, but it does make me wonder who is going to sue and try to enact a national law to limit how many kids per family.... If San Francisco tried to ban circumcision, who is to say someone won't try to put a limit on bearing children?

Maybe there should be a limit. It's irresponsible to have 20 children. Imagine if a quarter of the population was this irresponsible. What impact would that have on the world?

The 20 children in this family do not make up for the amount of people having abortions every year. It doesn't even come close to breaking even.

Live and let live; they were able to take care of their family before the TV show, they can do so afterwards. If you are so offended by their intent to reproduce, don't watch the show and don't comment on the threads about the show.

i'm not offended, it's just that as a biologist these people make the voices in my head keep screaming. we just hit the 7 billion mark and they just put the twentieth tally up on their bedpost. i don't watch the show but chances are that those 20 are just as crazy as ma and pa and can't wait until they hit the 20 mark and beyond. this one ginormous family has the reproductive inhibition of bacteria-just keep going until you die to keep adding to that quiverfull quota.

not to mention she's over 40. for every kid she has after the age of 35 she ups the chance of genetic defects and birth abnormalities with every pregnancy. it's reckless.

Meghan Herr - Abortion has nothing to do with this family. And, they never took complete care of the family - US taxpayers are footing part of the bill.

W. Goin, would you rather give them tax exemptions or just let them fail and have 22 people (after this one is born) on 100% government assistance?

I don't watch the show, never have (too busy taking care of my kids lol), but they have the right to have as many children as they want. Do I agree with her? Ummm, no, but it's not my place to say.

Let's not forget that after they put rules on reproduction, they'll start telling all the yahoos how many guns they can have. I'm thinking not one gun toter would like that. Then it will be how many cars you can have, how much money you can make. The madness won't end.

She's 45. It will stop sooner than later.

W. Goin, would you rather give them tax exemptions or just let them fail and have 22 people (after this one is born) on 100% government assistance?

I don't watch the show, never have (too busy taking care of my kids lol), but they have the right to have as many children as they want. Do I agree with her? Ummm, no, but it's not my place to say.

Let's not forget that after they put rules on reproduction, they'll start telling all the yahoos how many guns they can have. I'm thinking not one gun toter would like that. Then it will be how many cars you can have, how much money you can make. The madness won't end.

She's 45. It will stop sooner than later.

She may have the "right" to have as many children as she wants to have, but what about my rights as a taxpayer? Prior to their show, I was stuck paying for them. I wanted a big family too, but couldn't afford to do it-so I stopped. BTW-I have a neighbor with 21 kids.

Peggy, how were you paying for them? They homeschool, they had a small home, and they were not on welfare.

they were on food stamps untill early 2011! jeeesus! don't you people ever read anything? the producers of the show ,the herds i mean families closest freinds and family members ALL have confirmed the food stamps!and the husban gets free medicaL FOR HIS FAMILY ON THE TAX PAYERS DIME because he was a goverment ,tax payer supported employee!!!!

Well... in that case,

That IS what food stamps are for. Duh. Helping you buy food. For your family.

I agree, there should be a point when they have the common sence to stop.

Money. Fame. The usual rewards of whoring.

Because I was too lazy to get up and get the remote to change the channel, I watched an episode of this family a couple of weeks ago. They were visiting another family who has 19 kids with #20 on the way and Michelle admitted on screen she was jealous and both her and JB admitted they were "trying" for #20. She's trying to cement herself in the Guiness Book of World Records is my guess.

Getting on TV.

Look up their religion: Quiverfull. Basically, it's to increase the number of the faithful.

A friend of mine had a roommate with the same problem. She'd get a puppy or kitten, play with them as babies, then when they got a little older, they'd get tossed to the back yard and she'd get a new 'baby' to play with.

Unfortunately, they won't stop. Even if you yanked the tv show, they will still have kids so long as "god" keeps "blessing" them. They will arrange the marriages of their children to other children in the same cult. They will encourage those children to have huge broods as well. Again, I don't care what they do behind closed doors, I just wish they would keep the door closed.

and just what in your opinion is the disaster they are creating. Maybe you just like to hate and say hateful things. Here try this it's not so hard. I disagree with the Dugger family and would not make that decision. Really try it.

Saw one of the episodes a few kids back, and they were having a hard time finding an OB that would take them, because it was too high risk.