Octuplets controversy pulls in California megachurch

|PIC1|A southern California megachurch has been pulled into the media storm surrounding the mother of recently born octuplets and wants to set the record straight amid rumours of its upcoming role.

Suleman, who recently said she had attended Calvary Chapel, has been the centre of a media storm following the birth of her octuplets last month. The single, unemployed mother of six was already relying on the government for support when she made the decision to implant in her womb six embryos created through in vitro fertilization.

Though Suleman claims she does not intend to remain dependent on public assistance for long, many have criticised her decision to have more children, with some taking their complaints to state Senator Sam Aanestad.

"I don't think there is anyone who ethically thinks what happened is right," said Aanestad, an oral surgeon who sits on the Health Committee.

"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," Aanestad told The Association Press.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, the cost for a single mother to raise 14 children until the age of 17 ranges from $1.3 million to $2.7 million.

With emotions running high and some critics having gone as far as to issue death threats, Suleman and her first six children were recently forced to move to “an undisclosed location”, according to her publicist.

The octuplets, meanwhile, remain at the hospital. They are expected to spend seven to 12 weeks there.

Calvary Chapel found itself pulled into the controversy when Suleman said she had attended services at the nondenominational evangelical church, which draws around 14,000 people to its services each week.

"She thought it was a wonderful church," Suleman's publicist, Mike Furtney, told Whittier Daily News. "She was more than delighted to take her kids up there. I think they went there frequently."

Though Calvary Chapel pastor Rex Wollins said he didn’t know about Suleman’s connection to his church until it surfaced in the news, he said members of the church did want to take care of the needs of her family.

"She is going through a great difficult time in her life, filled with a lot of anxiety, fear and a lot of stress," Wolins told the Daily News. "All the ladies in the women's ministry here are just trying to fill a human need."

The pastor’s comments, however, were misunderstood by some and led to erroneous reports claiming that the church was involved with the establishment of a foundation for donation distribution, providing her with financial assistance, and helping her locate a new residence.

The church clarified its role in a statement on Friday, affirming that it was not involved in any of the aforementioned activities.

“Because of the physical and emotional strain these eight newborn babies will place on her and her six young children, they will need spiritual guidance and child care assistance, twenty-four hours a day, from her surrounding community, for years to come. Also, these pre-mature infants may continue to need ongoing professional care throughout their lifetime,” Calvary Chapel stated.

The Diamond Bar megachurch said, however, that it “will not be involved with the organisation or handling of these professional assistance programmes”, but said it would direct people willing to assist Ms Suleman to the already established websites that are committed to organising and supporting Ms Suleman and her children.

The church also noted that it is unable to confirm or deny whether she actively attended the fellowship as the church is not membership-driven, but affirmed that no one on the staff knew her.

“And to the best of our knowledge, Ms Suleman's only contact with us was a minor enquiry regarding our children's ministry,” they stated.