A 68-year-old woman from New York, MaryBeth Lewis, is currently fighting a legal battle to regain custody of her 14th and 15th children. These two children were born in 2023 through a surrogate. The case has caught attention because MaryBeth already has a very large family, and because there are accusations that she hid the pregnancy plans from her husband.

MaryBeth first became widely known in 2010 when she gave birth to her eighth child. She told The East Aurora Advertiser that her first baby changed her life the most and that the rest of the children “fell into place.” Over the years, her family kept growing even though, at one point, she and her husband, Bob, had agreed not to have more children.

In 2012, she gave birth to twin boys. In 2016, she had another set of twins, her 11th and 12th children, at the age of 59. At 62, she gave birth to her 13th child. According to The New York Times, MaryBeth’s first five pregnancies happened naturally. However, all the later pregnancies were done through in vitro fertilisation (IVF). The couple used a combination of their own embryos as well as donated eggs and sperm. MaryBeth carried all her babies herself, except for the last two, who were carried by a surrogate.

The biggest controversy began when she had the 14th and 15th children. Reports say she went ahead with the surrogate pregnancies without telling her husband. She is accused of forging his signature to approve the IVF process. Because of this legal issue, the two children, a boy and a girl, were placed in foster care soon after birth.

MaryBeth has refused two plea deals because she wants to keep fighting for custody. Surprisingly, despite the accusations, her husband Bob is now supporting her in the legal battle. Recently, a new judge ruled that MaryBeth and Bob are the legal parents of the two children. However, the foster parents have appealed the ruling, so the case is still ongoing. The future of the two children remains uncertain as the legal fight continues.