by George Bao

    LOS ANGELES, March 18 (Xinhua) -- As Nadya Suleman, a mother of octuplets, brought two of her babies back home from hospital on Tuesday, a debate was being unfolded in the United States over the nation's reproductive policies and whether tax payers should pay for raising the octuplets.

    Suleman became famous overnight when she gave birth to six boys and two girls on Jan. 26 in southern California. The babies were about two months' premature when they were born and have remained the longest-living octuplets in history.

    What angered the public was that Suleman already had six young children, all reportedly born by in vitro fertilization (IVF).

    Soon after the octuplets were born, Suleman became a target of scorn after it was revealed that she had no husband, no job, lived with her mother and depended on public assistance to take care of her children.

    Suleman got pregnant by IVF at the same hospital, by the same doctor, who already knew she was single and likely to fail to raise all 14 children on her own.

    Many people blamed the doctor for implanting so many embryos per IVF cycle to one woman, yet there is no regulation at the state or federal level to limit the number of embryos a doctor can implant per IVF cycle in a woman's uterus.

    The issue raised concerned about women's reproductive policies.

    California State Senator Gloria Negrete McLeod introduced a bill that would more closely regulate fertility clinics. The bill would redefine the clinics as "outpatient settings," subjecting them to scrutiny under the California Medical Board.

    "It is alarming that the state of California has no one watching out for patients who go to these fertility clinics or surgical centers," Negrete McLeod said in a statement, "there should be a greater level of scrutiny over these clinics because of their increasing popularity."

    Other states are making similar attempts to regulate the reproductive industry. State lawmakers in Georgia and Missouri are considering bills that will limit the number of embryos that may be implanted in a woman's uterus per IVF cycle. Georgia's bill will limit women under the age of 40 to two embryos per IVF cycle, while women over 40 will be allowed three embryos.

    There is no discussion of regulating the reproductive policies at the federal level. But it is likely that more states will have their own ways to regulate the industry after Suleman's issue.

    The second area of debate focuses on how Suleman can raise 14 children since she herself is depending on public assistance.

    Suleman used to live with her mother, whose house is on foreclosure since she could not pay the mortgage.

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that the cost for a single mother to raise 14 children through age 17 was 1.3 million to 2.7 million dollars.

    Many people doubted that Suleman could support 14 children, and criticized her decision to have more children, with some taking their complaints to California State Senator Sam Aanestad.

    "I don't think there is anyone who ethically thinks what happened is right," said Aanestad.

    "There are 14 babies out there that for the next 20 years are probably going to need assistance from the taxpayers. There should be something in place so that this doesn't happen again," he said.

    Some suggested that the government take away the eight children from Suleman for adoption to avoid being homeless and starving. Some critics have gone too far to issue death threats against Suleman, which forced her to move her first six children to "an undisclosed location."

    But Suleman claimed that she could support herself and the 14 children. Their new house in La Habra, California, was purchased by herself, she said.

    The four-bedroom, three-bath home was listed for 564,900 dollars. It is a 2,586-square foot house about 20 miles east of Los Angeles.

    She said the money for the house was from "opportunities" she has been offered, which could be from selling photos of the octuplets.

    Based on a report by TMZ.com, Suleman's birth video is being "shopped around town" at a seven-figure price tag, possibly more than one million dollars. But the hospital denied that it took video shot while Suleman was giving birth.

    Some people questioned Suleman's motive to get pregnant with eight babies and said making money by selling photos of the octuplets was something they could not accept.

    Other television stations and media have also offered money to interview her, which might explain why Suleman could afford her own house and claimed that she could raise her 14 children.

    Donations also keep going to her, although general anger is still there over what she has done.