The Duggars are Expecting #20

Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, famous for their large family, are expecting another child. This one will be their 20th. The family is the subject of the TLC series currently titled 19 Kids and Counting, which will presumably change when the new one arrives in April.
The Tontitown, Ark., couple, who are parents to children Joshua, 23 (who is married to Anna, 23 and has two children, Mackynzie, 2 and Michael, 4 months), twins Jana and John-David, 21; Jill, 20; Jessa, 19; Jinger, 17; Joseph, 16; Josiah, 15; Joy-Anna, 14; twins Jedidiah and Jeremiah, 12; Jason, 11; James, 10; Justin, 8; Jackson, 7; Johanna, 6; Jennifer, 4; and Jordyn, 3, weathered the medical emergency of their youngest daughter, Josie's birth on Dec. 10, 2009.

Link (with video) -via Buzzfeed

Previously: #17, #18, and #19

So lets see, #19 almost died and how many of these were high risks to her? I don't see how this is responsible to her health, the child's heath or the health and well being of the other still minor children in the household. She's spent almost fourteen years being pregnant!

Having read some memoirs written by women who escaped the "quiverfull" and FLDS movements I can't help but feel so heartbroken for these women and children.

I'm all for religious freedom and freedom of belief but at some point I'd hope someone would step back and say "no, that's enough, this is not healthy"
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Give attention to stupid people and they get even more stupid. Now they are definitely aiming at the record whatever it is, their kids are going to have a thousand kids of their own and they will found Jtupidtown.
Then complain about inequality.
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@Pile of Pooh

They do it through intelligent resource management. They take zero handouts from the government or anybody else. If I remember correctly, the parents make their money from commercial real estate, but don't quote me.

What always makes me laugh about the Duggars is that people always say "Ugh, we're so overpopulated why do they do this?" If you're worried about overpopulation, a handful of people with weird religious beliefs spawning and then providing for their families aren't what you should be focusing on.
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More proof that religious beliefs are harmful to society. The Duggars are perfect examples of people who place their beliefs in delusional ideology.
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What's funny is that at least some of the detractors are organic, nature loving, "let the human body function as designed" hypocrites who eschew table sugar once a month but eat birth control for years. Have some faith in humanity. Complain about people who have a single unwanted kid that your taxes will feed.
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If everyone in the world were to have 20 children it would be a problem but having a family that large isn't very common. They are 22 people in a world with 7 billion, there no need to make them the scapegoats for all of the world's ills. The Duggars are not a plague of locusts.
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Colt, this family wouldn't be able to support themselves without the television show. They make almost $200,000 an episode. I watched the show a few years ago, when it first started, and they were stuck in a tiny tract home, driving beat up vehicles, and asking for help from his parents.

Since the children are home-schooled, and the girls, especially, have had serious limitations put on what they can do, many of them probably will end up on some kind of public assistance.
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I love this family. They are perfect in my opinion. Michelle is one of the most calm women I have ever seen. They are truly inspirational. I don't like the idea of people having too many children, but these people are different. They have no debts, they plan everything and they have raised well behaved children. These kids helped build there own house, they do chores and are just the best. There are some people out there that can't handle one child let alone 20. The negative comments are comming from people who are probable going to be or are crap parents. I wish them all the best. Can't wait to see the show again. And I am an Atheist. And as for being on public assistance Persephone, I doubt that very much. They have been taught to look for bargains and they know how to make their own clothes. What can you do.
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My paternal grandparents had 22 kids. They all have a strong work ethic, as do my cousins. They also have a strong sense of family pride. Stupid? Gross? Not even close.
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There are Jews in the world.
There are Buddhists.
There are Hindus and Mormons, and then
There are those that follow Mohammed, but
I've never been one of them.

I'm a Roman Catholic,
And have been since before I was born,
And the one thing they say about Catholics is:
They'll take you as soon as you're warm.

You don't have to be a six-footer.
You don't have to have a great brain.
You don't have to have any clothes on. You're
A Catholic the moment Dad came,

Because

Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.

CHILDREN:
Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.

GIRL:
Let the heathen spill theirs
On the dusty ground.
God shall make them pay for
Each sperm that can't be found.

CHILDREN:
Every sperm is wanted.
Every sperm is good.
Every sperm is needed
In your neighbourhood.

MUM:
Hindu, Taoist, Mormon,
Spill theirs just anywhere,
But God loves those who treat their
Semen with more care.

MEN:
Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is great.
WOMEN:
If a sperm is wasted,...
CHILDREN:
...God get quite irate.

PRIEST:
Every sperm is sacred.
BRIDE and GROOM:
Every sperm is good.
NANNIES:
Every sperm is needed...
CARDINALS:
...In your neighbourhood!

CHILDREN:
Every sperm is useful.
Every sperm is fine.
FUNERAL CORTEGE:
God needs everybody's.
MOURNER #1:
Mine!
MOURNER #2:
And mine!
CORPSE:
And mine!

NUN:
Let the Pagan spill theirs
O'er mountain, hill, and plain.
HOLY STATUES:
God shall strike them down for
Each sperm that's spilt in vain.

EVERYONE:
Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is good.
Every sperm is needed
In your neighbourhood.

Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite iraaaaaate!
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I wouldn't even have one, let alone 20. I wonder how the husband even gets off, he must just kind of jack it and aim in there. That or the doctor must stitch her up real good after every birth.
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Valid point, Floorman. One wonders if this woman is doing the choosing, just like in some abortions.

I knew a guy who grew up on a farm, back when having 15 sbilings was unusual but not out of the ordinary for farm people.

These days, there's no valid or practical reason for this couple to pump out children like this. Aside from the oodles of money they're making from their circus show of a family life.
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Ted,

I think you may have missed the point of Floorman's post. It think he's saying that there aren't as many voices in support of this woman's rights to however large a family as she wants.

We may all see this as excessive and we may vilify the media for making a circus of it but it's their right to have as many children as they like.

Good for her, I say.
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I've been writing and posting about this delusional family for years now. They are the reason Christianity can & often does get a bad rap due to their extreme fundamentalist stance about spewing out as many babies as they can. I've also been vocal that when you have grown children (and now TWO grandchildren), it's time to shut down the baby factory. Michelle Duggar basically ignores her grandchildren because she's so caught up with having more & more of her own. It's like the whole issue with Josie being one pound and so pre-mature has been forgotten in their minds. They aren't smart enough to maybe realize that God is saying to STOP. Playing roulette with your life is not honoring God nor is it doing any favors to your very big existing children. Michelle isn't raising those kids--the older siblings are. I also think Michelle has a pregnancy addiction. Seems no interviewer wants to ask her about that.

More people need to email them & tell them your thoughts. I've also emailed the Today Show for promoting this pathetic couple who are pimping out their family on TV. It's not the kids' fault--it's Jim Bob & Michelle. They are the ones who are screwed up.
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Mitsy, you seem to know a lot about them for someone who doesn't like to watch them. You're part of the problem, you know. They don't care if you object to them, as long as you keep watching the show.

Sindigo, I got the point - it wasn't that difficult to understand. I think you missed my point. It's really the same damn issue. Is this woman making the choices in her life over her own body, or is her husband making the choices for her? It could be like eating potato chips. Once you eat one, you've gotta have another - 20 kids is such a nice round number, but 21 is like Blackjack (think of all the cute jokes), and so on, and so on...

I suggested that this woman has the same amount of control over her body that a woman has who is forced to get an abortion or forced to give birth to an unwanted child. And that is: none.

Like a polygamous wife. Who in her right mind would choose to live in that situation? And yet they do...
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Ted, I've never seen the show. We can't get it over here. Is there any evidence of her not wanting to have all these kids? That should be a genuine concern. I assume child services (or whoever) are aware of them though.

If there is a reason to believe she is being pressured into doing this in any way then your point of view is perfectly valid and I agree with you 100%. But in the absence of said evidence, saying there is no valid reason for them to have so many kids is just as controlling an attitude.
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Jim Bob actually home churches, based on Quiverfull and Gothard teachings. In these belief systems, women do not have a real say in anything. They are to offer complete submission to the husband, who has all the say in decisions.

Also, they support the Pearls, the ones who publish the books about beating your children into submission. Part of this is training your children to always be happy, to always be smiling, to be anything else is to be disobediant. Those smiles are hiding a lot of brainwashing.
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