Agent Says He's Not Repping Octo-Mom

LOS ANGELES -- A Tennessee-based Christian talent agency gave some advice to Octuplets mom Nadya Suleman about licensing photos of her children, but the head of the agency said he decided against representing her.

More than a decade ago, the Ambassador Agency Inc. started representing Kenny and Bobbi McCaughey, the Iowa couple whose sextuplets born Nov. 17, 1995 became the first surviving set of six in the nation.

Wes Yoder, the president of the firm, said he considered handling the Suleman octuplets, but "has not executed a representation agreement, nor do we intend to do so.

"But because of the representation of the McCaughey septuplet family during the past 11 years, we urge the local churches, people of compassion and the pro-life community to participate in a thoughtful plan to assist the Suleman children."

Last week, Suleman's Los Angeles-based public relations consultants severed ties with her, citing an unmanageable maelstrom of angry letters, e-mails, "endless weird phone calls" and even death threats, according to Mike Furtney who, along with his wife and partner, Joann Killeen, run the Killeen Furtney Group.

The Ambassador Agency, just outside Nashville, bills itself as the nation's oldest Christian talent agency. It has worked with personalities such as Rick Warren, the popular author and pastor of Saddleback Valley Community Church in Lake Forest.

Suleman, who is unemployed and unmarried, grew up an only child and has said that her life's desire was to be a mother.

She had six children via a sperm donor, then had seven other embryos, from the same sperm donor, implanted -- all of which became viable. One embryo became twins. The octuplets were delivered by Caesarian section on Jan. 26 -- 9 1/2 weeks premature -- and remain hospitalized in Bellflower.

The case has raised questions about medical and reproductive ethics, as well as the mother's ability to care for 14 children.

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