Annegret Raunigk has 13 other children, decided to become a mother again because her youngest daughter wanted a sibling

Apr 19, 2015 16:34 GMT  ·  By

Annegret Raunigk from Berlin, Germany, will very soon deliver quadruplets. She already has 13 other children, which means that, when she finally gives birth, she’ll be just one shy of two dozen sons and daughters. 

Most women get pregnant, deliver and become proud mothers without having tens of thousands of people discuss their life and debate their decisions. Annegret Raunigk, however, didn’t get to enjoy such bliss.

Apparently, the whole of Germany has an opinion about her being pregnant, as do countless other people all across the globe. No, it’s not the fact that she will deliver quadruplets that landed this woman in the spotlight.

Rather, it’s the fact that Annegret Raunigk is 65 years old. Yup, this lady is about to become a mom at an age when most women are getting ready to retire and spend more time with their grandkids or traveling the world.

There are risks to being 65 and pregnant, there’s no denying it

One doesn’t have to be a medical expert to figure out that being pregnant at 65 and expecting quadruplets is risky business. Carrying quadruplets is tricky enough as it is and old age only makes such a pregnancy more difficult both for the mother-to-be and for her children.

Besides, Annegret Raunigk didn’t conceive naturally but turned to artificial insemination. Since German laws on artificial insemination aren’t exactly relaxed, the woman had to travel to Ukraine to get pregnant.

Add to this the fact that she decided to become a mother once more not because she was dying to go about changing diapers again, but because her youngest daughter wanted to have a sibling, and it’s no wonder many are calling her irresponsible, maybe even just a tad insane.

Doctors warn that, being 65 and expecting quadruplets, Annegret Raunigk risks not being able to carry her pregnancy to term. What’s more, the woman could deliver underweight children with serious health trouble.

Hence, this 65-year-old woman’s pregnancy is said to have crossed both medical and ethical boundaries. In fact, many can’t even wrap their head around the fact that the doctors she saw in Ukraine agreed to artificially inseminate her even after they looked at her ID.

Admittedly, Annegret Raunigk is just fine and dandy these days. She couldn’t care less about others’ opinion of her and her life choices, and she cannot wait to give birth and hold her children for the very first time.

Still, medical experts say that it’s probably only a matter of time until something goes wrong. Some folks have even went as far as to point out that, even if the pregnancy turns out to be successful, Annegret Raunigk and her kids won’t get to spend all that much time together.

It’s not Annegret Raunigk we should be talking about

OK, so a 65-year-old woman got pregnant with quadruplets. The thing is that, as bizarre and downright shocking as it might be, Annegret Raunigk’s pregnancy isn’t what we should be talking about. Rather, it’s the fact that doctors agreed to artificially inseminate her.

It is possible that this woman made one of the biggest mistakes of her life when she decided to become a mother once more, but she didn’t do it alone. Au contraire, she had medical experts helping her every step of the way.

Annegret Raunigk’s life choices aren’t ours to discuss and criticize. The fact that doctors in Ukraine agreed to artificially inseminate her despite being aware of her age, however, is a clear example of medical science gone wrong and something that should concern us.

Yet, the names of the doctors who got this woman pregnant haven’t even been mentioned. If we’re gonna talk about crossing medical and ethical boundaries, they too should face such accusations. In fact, I dare say they deserve such treatment more than Annegret Raunigk does.

So let’s not get carried away and try to keep in mind that, whereas individuals have the right to live their life the way they see fit and not have anyone criticize their decisions, doctors have a responsibility to never step out of line, what with their vow to do no harm and all.