Nobody knows the conversations Hauser had with the McCaugheys, but it's safe to say that many couples who put themselves into the hands of a fertility specialist don't know what they are getting into. The single-minded quest to have a baby often psychologically impairs the couple's ability to process negative information about what may occur. If Bobbi McCaughey had been in her late 30s or early 40s, like the typical woman seeking treatment, she might not have survived the seven births. Even in their 20s, women carrying multiple fetuses are at risk for fatal blood clots and other complications. The industry is by and large for-profit and unregulated.
Some sales pitches come with money-back guarantees.
In this overheated commercial climate, many are skeptical that those doing the selling really encourage the customers to think things through. Like all industries, the fertility business inevitably feels pressure to skip all the fuss about ethics and just give the customer what she wants. Aggressive treatment depends on abortion to get rid of the extra fetuses. Still, it's hard not to notice that the creation and then the destruction of new human life is currently a built-in part of the fertility industry. The abortion decision is not just a moral problem for the couple involved.