Chinese parents of octuplets investigated

GUANGZHOU, China, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Chinese authorities are investigating a couple who had octuplets through in vitro fertilization of the woman and two surrogate mothers who carried babies.

The biological mother, of Guangzhou, in South China's Guangdong province, had three of the babies, and two surrogate mothers had the other five, China Daily reported.

Surrogate motherhood is illegal in the country, and Zhang Feng, director of the provincial commission of population and family planning, said the couple violated family-planning policies and regulations.

"The supporting reproductive technologies should be used to help people who are sterile, but the couple have abused the technologies," Zhang said.

The biological mother, who was not identified, had eight of her eggs fertilized through in vitro fertilization last year, and she and her husband opted to keep all the embryos and hired the two surrogate mothers.

The octuplets -- four boys and four girls -- were born in September and October 2010.

One of the surrogate mothers carried three babies, and the other carried two.

The Guangdong Department of Health has set up a task force to investigate.

China normally limits couples to one child.