| p>Omkari Panwar,70, wife of Charan Singh Panwar, | | | | worthwhile. I can die a happy man and a proud |
| 77, gave birth to twins in July, 2008. Before that, | | | | father." |
| Charon Panwar mortgaged his land, sold his buffalos, | | | | Since the Panwars are now near destitute they will |
| depleted his life savings, and then charged IVF | | | | have to depend on the charity of family and villagers |
| fertility treatments on a "credit card." | | | | to take care of the boy heir that they wanted so |
| They already had two adult daughters in their thirties | | | | badly, and the girl that they didn't. |
| and five grandchildren, but no "sons". They were | | | | Charan insists the cost was worth it because he had |
| desperate to produce a male heir to take over the | | | | become a laughing stock in his village without a son |
| family's tiny bit of (now-mortgaged) land. | | | | to carry on the family name. |
| FOXNews.com's managing health editor Dr. Manny | | | | Omkar: "We paid all this money to the doctors for a |
| Alvarez, said of Panwar: "This is an extremely | | | | son, but now we have the extra burden of another |
| problematic pregnancy, The stress that is put on the | | | | daughter as well. Boys are cherished in India because |
| heart, kidneys and liver put her life in danger. And the | | | | daughters are not allowed to inherit property but |
| twin babies have the risk of not getting enough | | | | leave to marry and become part of their new |
| nutrients because the vascular system is so | | | | husband's family." |
| compromised on a 70-year-old womb." | | | | Okay, let's see if I understand this correctly: The only |
| Omkar ended up giving birth at 34 weeks to twins | | | | reason that this couple spent all of their life savings, |
| (boy and girl) weighing 2 lbs. each by emergency | | | | sold their buffalos, charged up their credit card, and |
| caesarean section. They were then rushed to the | | | | pretty much risked the life of elderly mother and |
| neonatal intensive care unit at Jaswant Roy Speciality | | | | babies was so that: |
| Hospital. | | | | 1. They could have a male heir to inherit nothing but |
| "At last we have a son and heir," Charon Panwar said. | | | | debt; and |
| "We prayed to God, went to saints and visited | | | | 2. Charon would no longer be a laughing stock in their |
| religious places to pray for an heir. We kept no stone | | | | village. |
| unturned and God has rewarded us. The treatment | | | | Does this make sense? |
| cost me a fortune but the birth of a son makes it all | | | | |