Cause of death Cancer Nationality Spanish | Name Maria Carmen | |
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Full Name Maria del Carmen Bousada Born January 5, 1940 ( 1940-01-05 ) Cadiz, Spain Known for Formerly World's Oldest Mother Children Pau Bousada, Christian Bousada Died July 11, 2009, El Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain | ||
Maria del carmen bousada de lara
María del Carmen Bousada de Lara (January 5, 1940 – July 11, 2009) was a Spanish woman who gained worldwide attention when she became the world's oldest mother on December 29, 2006. She later became an outspoken advocate for the rights of older mothers and a subject of considerable controversy.
Contents
- Maria del carmen bousada de lara
- Madre de gemelos a los 67
- Giving birth
- Death
- Ethical controversy
- References
Madre de gemelos a los 67
Giving birth
She gave birth to twin baby boys, Christian and Pau. They were delivered prematurely by caesarean section and weighed 3.5 lb (1.6 kg) each.
Bousada de Lara admitted that she had lied to physicians about her age when seeking in vitro fertilization treatment at a clinic in California. At the time of the delivery, Bousada was the world's oldest documented mother, surpassing the record established in 2005 by Romanian mother Adriana Iliescu, who was also 66. Two years later, Omkari Panwar, a 70-year-old woman from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, gave birth to twins. However, Panwar's age is not officially documented.
Death
Bousada died of ovarian cancer on July 11, 2009, when her sons were two and a half years old.
Ethical controversy
Critics of later-late motherhood characterized Bousada's decision to have children as "selfish, unnatural and wrong, her children innocent victims in her pernicious plan for reproductive self-gratification." Her own brothers publicly criticized her decision. Bousada herself vehemently defended her decision. At the time of the birth, she stated, "Everyone has to have children at the right time for them. This was the right time for me. It was something I always dreamed of." In an interview in 2006, she stated that her mother had reached the age of 101 and that therefore she expected a good chance to bring up her children and perhaps even to see her grandchildren. However, she died of cancer less than three years after giving birth.