Canada's Sextuplets

1/6/07 and 1/7/07: A woman has given birth to what is believed to be Canada's first set of sextuplets (4 boys, 2 girls). The family is requesting privacy, so no names are given. The babies were almost 3 months premature. The parents are Jehovah's Witnesses, members of a faith that forbids them to accept blood transfusions. No details on the medical care are being released. The hospital issued a brief statement: "While they understand there is a lot of public interest in their babies they are feeling overwhelmed." In the modern era, most multiple births have been attributed to the use of fertility drugs. Without drugs, sextuplets occur only once in several billion births (Dr. Brian Lupton, chief of neo-natal care at B.C. Women's Hospital).