Ah, and in the old Soviet Union women who bore (and raised?) eight children got the Motherhood Hero of the Soviet Union medal in silver, those bearing 10 or more kids got it in gold. A group of us got together and gave the silver one to my ex-husband's second wife the Christmas after she had her eighth -- and I, three gay guys, and another woman who'd had a hysterectomy for medical reasons got up and thanked her for taking SUCH GOOD CARE of the reproductive potential we were so unlikely to use...

Lynn