Quintuplets Born in UK in Defiance of Medical Pressure to Abort

LifeSiteNews ^ | OXFORD, January 4, 2008 | John Connolly

[GonzoII]

Friday January 4, 2008

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Quintuplets Born in UK in Defiance of Medical Pressure to Abort

By John Connolly

OXFORD, January 4, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The quintuplets of a Russian couple were born in the UK after doctors in Russia denied them care unless they aborted some of them.

Dimitri and Varvara Artamkin, both Russian natives, gave birth to five girls at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford last month. Each of the babies now weighs 3 pounds 3 ounces, and they have been separated since birth so they can undergo incubation in two hospitals.

Dmitri, a mathematics professor, says that the children are each a gift from God.

"We believe God has given them to us as a gift and sent us here, to Britain, to give them the best possible chance," he said. "We don't yet know when we'll be able to take them home - it depends on the progress they make. But we're praying it will be soon."

Dmitri and Varvara come from strong religious backgrounds, both were brought up in the Russian Orthodox Church. They tried to have a baby but were unable to during the first seven years of their marriage. They eventually tried fertility treatments, and were surprised when they discovered that they were pregnant with five children instead of one.

"We love children so much and have always wanted to have lots," said Varvara, a music teacher. "We both come from big families so to us, having lots of children seems normal. I am one of four children, Dimitri is one of nine, and we have 13 nephews and nieces. We have always been surrounded by children and we prayed to God to send us children. What happened to us last year was very sad but we always believed we would have another chance."

"We were very happy when we first found out but we couldn't celebrate because the doctors told us straight away that it would be impossible to have all of them," said Dimitri. "Then all we could feel was worry."

The couple refused to have selective abortion, and because of that were turned away by most Russian doctors due to the risk to Varvara that was posed by so many children being born at once.

"We just said no as soon as they told us. We prayed to be given children and God granted our prayer, to kill them would be totally against everything we believe," said Dimitri. "We go to church every week and believe very strongly in our faith. Varvara's father is a priest in the Russian Orthodox church. For us, having the abortions was not even an option. It was a frightening and sad time for us but we knew we had to have all the babies. We could see all of them on the ultrasounds and each one was a little person. It was not something we even had to discuss."

The quintuplets, named Elizaveta, Alexandra, Nadezhda, Tatiana and Varvara, are the first to be born in the UK in five years. The parents are waiting for them to be strong enough to all be gathered together again. They were very thankful for the amount of support that people have shown them in the past weeks.

"The people we have met since being in this country have been fantastic," said Varvara. "The level of care the babies have received is amazing and strangers have been so kind in sending us gifts. We want everyone here to know how thankful we are. We are a little overwhelmed by all the attention but we know we have everyone's best wishes."

The couple had the babies baptized the day after their birth and their families are planning a big  celebration and to help with childcare when they return to Russia. Both Dimitri and Varvara say that they would like to have even more children, although both hope eventually to return to  their jobs.

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Russian Couple Flees to Britain to Save Their Unborn Quintuplets from Abortion
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/nov/07111610.html

Parents Have Quadruplets After Having Twins Two Years Ago
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/dec/07122107.html 

Couple Chooses Life and Sextuplets
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jun/07061207.html  

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08010406.html

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[Carley]

aaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwww

blessings on them all

[the invisib1e hand]

doctors in Russia denied them care unless they aborted some of them.

socialized "medical care's" ultimate end.

[Blogger]

God bless these folks. Beautiful children.

[imintrouble]

I don’t get it - they are given invitro and the docs are surprised they have fertilized multiples???

Then they play divine justice suggesting some of the lives should be ended?

Man’s insane love affair with science without belief.

[fullchroma]

That smiling baby photo made my day!

[mikelets456]

Thank God for people who practice what they preach and stand up to the persecution! They did what was right and now have 5 cute kids...instant family! They will have their hands full, but something tells me they won’t mind.

BTW, I wonder if the Russian doctor would give my cat an abortion? I’m sure that would be inhumane!!!

[gridlock]

He who pays the piper calls the tune.

It is good that this couple had alternatives.

[Tax-chick]

“Fertility treatments” isn’t necessarily in-vitro. Given the context, it was more likely an ovulation stimulator. Most large multiple births in the U.S. are due to Clomid and similar drugs, since implanting so many in-vitro embryos has become less common.

[tioga]

here in the U.S. they do the same.....placing five embryos and if more than two develop they advise the mother to kill off all but two. Very sad practice. Of course, here in the U.S. a mother can refuse to take that advice.

[agere_contra]

I’m speechless.

Russia is once again revealed as a Moloch state that makes my dear, troubled Britain seem like a principled defender of the unborn.

[tioga]

less common? I know of three babies born in the last year or so near me.....all three invitro....one set of twins the other a single birth.

[silverleaf]

“fertility treatments” does not mean in vitro

probably she was given hormones and/or drugs to stimulate ovulation

Glad they went to UK, a Sudanese woman showed up in my local hospital ER, spent several months hospitalized and delivered quints

We taxpayers are picking up the multimillion dollar bill

Yes she knew she was carrying quints- can’t blame her for running to America - but da-yum I am tired of liberals pissing about our “broken” medical care system when we are paying megabucks in free care to illegals

[Tax-chick]

That’s what I just said. The in-vitro industry no longer implants large numbers of embryos at one time.

[tioga]

no, they implant three to five around here......three if the mother says up front she will not abort any of them......five if she is willing.

[Tax-chick]

Huh. I guess whatever source I read wasn’t comprehensive.

[tioga]

or perhaps my area is the exception to the rule....

[MrB]

Yeah, Britain’s not too far off from denying healthcare in a like situation.

They’ve already denied leg surgery to a man because he wouldn’t quit smoking.

People need to realize. Socialized healthcare’s goal is not universal healthcare, it’s universal control.

[MrB]

They call it “ethics”.

[Tax-chick]

Maybe there are different state laws, or maybe it’s market-driven.