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Man Fathers 21 Kids With 11 Moms
Filed under: In The News, Weird But True
Desmond Hatchett, a 29-year-old man from Knoxville, Tennessee, has father -- are you ready for this? -- 21 children. With 11 different women. None of whom he is married to. And you thought Jon and Kate Gosselin had a lot of kids.
Oh, and he makes minimum wage, which makes it difficult for him to support all those kids financially, which has some Tennessee residents calling for a more permanent solution to Hatchett's fertility. If you get my drift.
According to this report from KCAL-TV, Hatchett claims to know all the children's "names, ages and birthdays." Which is impressive, considering I can barely remember mine, and I only have two kids, both of whom I see every day.
One of the mother's says that the $67.50/month Desmond is supposed to pay in child support isn't enough because her child is a "heavy milk drinker... and milk ain't cheap."
It's all well and good to make jokes about this sort of thing (one budding comic genius at this site says, "Now that's what I call burying the Hatchett!"). But the fact is, this dope has brought 21 unplanned children into the world that he can't support. If it happens once, OK. I still say men should be more careful where they, you know, spill their seed. But once, maybe you forgive. But 21 times?
We can't put all of the blame on the man, however. According to the news report, some of the women knew about Desmond's, um, prolific nature and they "deal with it." If you know the guy has done this before, don't you at least make him wear a condom? And if he refuses, tell him to get the hell out. Right?
The one positive thing in all of this is that Desmond does seem to care. While he's not able to make all of the payments (although the mom of the heavy milk drinker says that when she asks him for money, he "usually" pays), he does show up in court when he's supposed to. I know, small comfort. Especially since "The children can't all be supported by Desmond, so the state of Tennessee has had to step in," according to Hatchett's lawyer Keith Pope. By "step in" he means "pay for their care."
Local residents are angry, with some calling for forced sterilization. (I can't type the name of the method they suggest because it makes me cringe. But you know what I'm talking about.)
What do you think? Should a man who fathers this many accidental children be sterilized?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
6-01-2009 @ 3:26PM
Melissa said...He's only 29?? I thought my ex was bad with 4 kids (from 4 different women, I was the third, but thought I was the second, because he never told me about one of them) by the time he was 26! This guy needs forced sterilization, and those poor women need to take a step back and look at the guys they are dating!
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6-01-2009 @ 3:39PM
Shannon said...Dating? I hardly think it's dating- he averages 4 kids a year. Poor children, what kind of example is he- and their mothers? How do you even agree to sleep with a man like that? What, is he magic in bed?
What kind of time does a man have for all those children? Yes, some families have that many kids- but hello, they are all in ONE family and are staggered in age.
I don't blame that "mother" for not showing her face on the news.
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6-01-2009 @ 4:22PM
Brandi said...Honestly, I blame the 11 women in this situation as well. As the saying goes, it takes two to tango, and those women knew darn well what they were getting into, especially the 11th one. I don't think the state should be responsible for paying for the children unless the mothers of all those kids are working, full time, to support those kids as well. It is not only the father's responsibility, but the mothers' as well.
Brandi
www.pandria.com
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6-01-2009 @ 5:32PM
Victoria said...Agreed! It is the responsibility of BOTH parents to care for children - regardless of their situation. I do believe in government help for those trying to work their way up in life, but not lazy, free-loaders who just want someone else to take responsibility for their actions. I do think forced sterilization and wage-garnering should be this man's consequence for his actions (not punishment but a consequence). Americans in general are far too quick to pawn-off responsibility on someone else (look at all the ridiculous law-suits out there!). Make this man pay for what he has done!
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6-01-2009 @ 8:25PM
damoki said...Ha-Ha, bury the hatchet… funny! But good grief, this guy qualifies as a real busybody! However, the "two-to-tango" concept is really in play here. In each coupling, both are to "blame": remember, "Just say no"?
However, even if each woman was aware of all the others, the only real common denominator is the man; he is more the nexus than the women. I am not excusing the girls, but this guy was simply out of control in that he appears not to have cared, even in the face of his statement that he does, and that though unintended, “…it just happened.”
Punishment or consequence… forced castration? Let us not slip down that slope! That whole concept is anathema to one of our basic needs... not sex, but, freedom of choice - not to mention the freedom from being "sliced up" against your will. Many are super judgmental in this area; if you plumb the depth of that, what will you find?
This appears a problem of individual character, not social control. Is this guy an irresponsible ultra-dope for his seemingly careless and carefree approach to fatherhood? Well, YES! Should the state foot the bill? The answer is a little complex in that support uses tax dollars, but is for the children, and to withhold it surely punishes them. A better approach is to find him guilty of a “yet to be passed” law… ignorant, irresponsible, inconsiderate, in-your-pocketbook fatherhood, and require something like weekend work; the proceeds of which would flow to the kids. Also, if he fathers any more kids before these are adults, the percent taken from his income increases proportionally. But, the real details of this law – involving the use of duct tape and super glue - are yet to be worked out.
Seriously, I am not sure there is any stable approach to curb this type of ill-advised behavior. The state is in a weak position to reign in poor judgment. Good judgment is hardly ever the result of legislation, especially since legislation is so often the result of poor judgment.
DaMoKi
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6-01-2009 @ 11:13PM
damoki said...Tracie Smith,
Did I go through a time warp? Are we back in the 1950's? Have you washed your hood today? There is little room in the minds of people with even a pinch of good sense and can read, for the ugly thoughts you must harbor even in the bright moments of your narrow, limited existence. Was that too harsh? NO!
Whitewashing or "Blackwashing" from either side toward the other is evidence of limiting thought stuck in past arrogance and ignorance; present fear and resentment; and future hate and self-limitation.
If you actually believe your words, you should examine the source - parents, trauma, limited education, or some other correctable flaw - and try to give yourself and your kids the opportunity to experience real belonging, power, freedom, and even fun associated with the upper half of the human race.
Remember, your behaviors "will" influence the future experiences of your children, and the one thing I know for sure, is their future will be very different from yours. Do you really want to burden them with your tainted baggage, and limit their ability to grow and prosper in their future?
There are good and bad people on all sides. You can ensure you and your kids are on the good side. I hope you do!
DaMoKi
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6-02-2009 @ 7:10AM
Heather said...Black has nothing to do with it. I know a white guy who had 12 kids by 11 different women by age 25. I haven't seen him in 10 years so who know how many more he has.He was supporting 2 at the time. I think in these cases the state does have the right to force sterilization.
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6-03-2009 @ 12:40AM
SKL said...How about convicting him of hundreds/thousands of counts of child neglect, incarcerating him, and giving him hard labor 14 hours a day, 6.5 days a week?
As for the moms, make them also work full-time to support their kids, just like the rest of us do. Maybe they would think twice before they got knocked up again.
Welfare should not be available to able-bodied people, kids or no kids. The "compassion for the children" argument has ruined the lives of generations of children. If their parents truly can't afford to feed them after selling all their assets and quitting all their bad habits, then they should be offered a small cell to live in and an allotment of staple foods until their parents get a job. And meanwhile, if they don't bother to keep up with school or stay out of trouble, they can go hungry.
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6-03-2009 @ 8:38AM
Jamie said...That is a strong and bold statement. Yes, I agree what these women did was wrong, but I still believe that the kids in this situation should be able to eat. Compassion for a child should not be forgotten just to save some green for the state.
As far as these women working instead of getting handouts I would not be shocked to find them working at low wage jobs that offer little to no sick or vacation time. That does not work well when your kids are bound to get sick from being at daycare/school. My Mother gets 2 weeks of leave a year and no sick time. Watch the movie "Wal-Mart the High Cost of Low Prices". They teach their low wage employees how to subsidize their pay through government assistance. It is easy to be a critic to a lifestyle you no nothing of. I grew up in a house with no Father past the age of 6. It was tough because my Mother had not worked before and refused government assistance. She raised 4 children this way. I took that as a life lesson and finished a college education in 5 years with two BS degrees before even getting married. Being poor stinks! It is hard to get out of poverty too when you have to raise children by yourself. Where is the time to better yourself to make more money so that you can get off of government assistance?
6-04-2009 @ 3:37PM
Cat said...This is ridiculious. This man should bre sterilized. he has no common sense, he reproduces like an animal, who does not need common sense. I do not want my tax dollars to support his children. I do not mind a helping hand but this is madness.NO ONE SHOULD HAVE THAT MANY CHILDREN, who is unable to support them. IT IS A BURDEN ON SOCIETY, sooner or later. Children need a Dad, he has too many children to support emotionally. He is a sperm donor.
If he did not have to have state funds to support those senseless women and their children , then he could father a 100 children,
HELLO!!!! why don't the very rich who could afford to have 21 children, have them? When the government steps in then by providing assisitance it becomes another matter. Big Daddy Government has to stop making people so irresponsible by handing out benefits . Ask Rev Jesse Lee Peterson B.O.N.D
Time for those woman to find jobs. They have to support those children . Time to stop goverment assistance to all irresponsible females. we are only hurting the children in these case. Children will model themself after him and think it is right. It only encourages this type of behavior.
I am disgusted by this man.
6-03-2009 @ 1:33AM
rio said...Er, I don't feel comfortable with the idea of forcing people to be sterilized. There's already a history of that with some minority populations in American and doing that would be likely to bring up a lot of ugly history and tension. That said, a person with this many kids who can't support them really ought not be allowed to have any more children. The mothers are pretty dumb too for getting involved with a guy with this many children if they knew they had this many. The mothers should have to also work to support their kids unless there is some great physical or mental barrier preventing them, in which case they probably shouldn't be having kids to begin with.
But the idea of putting kids into a "small cell" sounds very problematic. If it's until their parents can afford to take care of them, then it would most likely be state run institution, which would undoubtedly have its share of issues. It seems to go even a step further than welfare and putting children into cells sounds a bit like prison. There's already enough issues with states taking care of children as it with foster homes, etc. And then there might be a number factors preventing them from staying out of trouble or succeeding in school, like not having a strong family support system. Not to say that being with their families would give them that anyway if the family already has a lot of issues going on, and there's always some kids determined to succeed despite their circumstances, but the amount of kids who won't is far greater if they're forced to go hungry or don't have any support of family support. That's how the idea of running drugs or joining gangs becomes appealing because they offer the idea of easier money or family, and unless you've ever severely lacked either as child, it can be hard to know just how those things become so very appealing to people in those situations when they appear to be obvious bad choices. And that would lead to even more undereducated people working min. wage jobs if working at all and possibly going on to make the same stupid choices like having a bunch of kids you can't afford.
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6-03-2009 @ 11:57AM
SKL said...You mean, cutting these families off the dole MIGHT cause them to end up the same way their dad and moms ended up ON the dole? I say it's worth the risk. Why throw more good money after bad? The US' multigenerational experiment with welfare has been a resounding failure and needs to end.
The best thing we could do for these kids is to show them that choices have consequences. I don't picture them learning this from their parents. As for compassion, that's the most misused word in this country. BS. How many of you would like your kids to be raised by those moms, if they didn't bother to get a job?
By the way, I am one of 6 kids raised by high school dropout parents, so I know what it is to "want." I also know what it is to work to achieve what I want / need. Thank God. Oh, and my kids are fatherless too, but I not only work, I pay enough taxes to support all 21 of those fatherless kids in the story. Yippee! And MY kids get to suck it up so they "theoretically" won't have to.
6-03-2009 @ 12:08PM
SKL said...Jamie, you are proving my point. Your mom didn't have government assistance to raise you, and you learned something from this and made better life choices! As a result, you and your children will have a better life. Why do you speak of this as if it were a tragedy?
Most single moms in this country - myself included - manage to support their kids without government assistance. Why do you think work is so much harder for some people than for others? What is so horrible about working a "low-wage" job? Most of us have done it for years before proving ourselves and moving up to something more rewarding. That's life! Why should irresponsible fornicators be exempt from these experiences?
Your comment about how "it's hard to get off government assistance" is true. It's like having to get out of a warm bath into a chilly bathroom. So let's not put these people on government assistance in the first place, and then they will not have this problem.
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6-04-2009 @ 4:28PM
troynakamura said...They need to definitely sterilize him AND all those idiot women who let this fool impregnate them.
But, we also need to take care of those innocent children.
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6-10-2009 @ 9:53AM
Angela said...Forced sterilization? Are you people crazy? Yes it is ridiculous that this man has so many different kids by so many different women but there is no way he should be forcefully sterilized. It's call freedom of choice to make your own decisions- right or wrong. You start with forced sterilization you're opening the door for the government to have control over our bodies. Don't be idiotic.
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