Man Gave Sperm 3 Times, Believes He May Be Octuplets' Dad
"GMA" to reveal identity of man who could be octuplets' father.
Feb 21, 2009 -- A man who may be the biological father of Nadya Suleman's octuplets says he is willing to help the single mother of 14, even though he is not certain it was his donated sperm that she used to become pregnant.
In an exclusive interview airing this Monday on "Good Morning America," the possible father said Suleman brought him to the clinic at which she received in vitro fertilization to donate sperm, and that he made donations on two other occasions. He now believes Suleman was married at the time.
Tune in to ABC News' "Good Morning America" Monday, Feb. 23 to learn the identity of the man who possibly fathered the Suleman octuplets.
Suleman has denied that the man is the father, but he said his multiple sperm donations are cause for a paternity test.
The donor said he was "shocked [and] surprised" when he first learned that Suleman, who he said he dated from 1997 to 1999, had delivered octuplets on Jan. 23.
"[I] just really want to know if these are [or] these are not my kids," said the man, who was in his early twenties when he started dating Suleman.
Regardless of the children's paternity, the man said he is willing to help Suleman raise the children because he does not believe she can handle it on her own.
"Either which way, you know, know that if she needs it I'll lend a helping hand," he said.
The man said that at the time she first approached him about donating sperm, Suleman told him that she had cancer and was unable to conceive without the help of a doctor.
The man said he twice made donations at home. In at least one instance, he said, Suleman kept the sperm sample warm by placing the cup containing the sample between her breasts.
"I just remember her saying when I donated that the doctor told her that she had to keep it warm by putting it between her -- between her breasts -- just to keep it warm, keep it room temperature until she took it in," he said.
Though he said they dated for three years, the man now believes Suleman was married at the time.
ABC News has learned through San Bernardino Superior Court Records that Suleman, 33, divorced her husband, Marcos Gutierrez, in January 2008.
The divorce document indicates "no children of the marriage," suggesting that Gutierrez was not the father of Suleman's previous six children.
When asked if Suleman, who lives with her parents and collects food stamps, could handle raising another eight children, the possible biological father said, "No."
Suleman made headlines in late January when news that she delivered eight viable babies was heralded as a medical marvel.
In the days that followed the Jan. 23 delivery, critics raised a host of questions about the single mother who had previously given birth to six other children, all of whom had been conceived through artificial insemination, and about her ability to financially support 14 children.
Suleman is unemployed and lives in a three-bedroom home with her parents, who have publicly criticized their daughter's decision to have so many children.
Property records show Suleman's mother, Angela, owns the home and is $23,225 behind in her mortgage payments. The house could be sold at auction beginning May 5.
Suleman told NBC that she does not intend to go on welfare. Earlier this month, her then-publicist said Suleman already receives $490 a month in food stamps and child disability payments to help feed and care for her six other children.
At least one of those children is believed to have autism.
Critics also have attacked a fertility doctor for implanting eight embryos in Suleman's womb during her attempts to get pregnant.
"I'm really angry about that," Angela Suleman told RadarOnline. "She already has six beautiful children. Why would she do this? I'm struggling to look after her six. We had to put in bunk beds, feed them in shifts and there's children's clothing piled all over the house."
Suleman and her parents have not publicly named the sperm donor or the fertility doctor who implanted her with the embryos.
Earlier this month, Suleman told NBC's "Today" that a single doctor helped her conceive all 14 children.
While she did not reveal the identity of the doctor, a 2006 report by television station KTLA shows a grateful Suleman praising the work of Beverly Hills physician Michael Kamrava, who runs a fertility practice. In the report, he says that he used a controversial procedure that he claims makes it much easier to implant women with embryos.
Since the birth of the octuplets -- who were born nine weeks premature at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Bellflower, Calif. -- a number of fertility experts and bioethicists have criticized Suleman and her physician for dangerously implanting so many embryos.
"Anyone who transfers eight embryos should be arrested for malpractice," said University of Pennsylvania bioethicist Arthur Caplan.
Studies have shown that the tendency toward premature delivery and low birth weight in multiple-birth babies puts them at greater risk for a variety of complications, including respiratory problems at birth, cerebral palsy, birth defects, sensory disorders and even death. These risks increase as the number of babies in the multiple birth increases.
A California-based nonprofit called Angels in Waiting has offered Suleman round-the-clock care and a place to stay with her 14 children. It would cost about $135,000 a month to provide the 12 caretakers necessary for the children, money that would have to come from public donations.