'19 Kids And Counting' Mom: 'Overpopulation Is A Lie'

Another prolific procreator made famous by TLC has made some waves. Unlike the general loathing Kate Gosselin managed to engender, the backlash against these remarks will probably be a strongly focused beam from environmental and famine advocates.

"19 Kids and Counting" matriarch Michelle Duggar made a Christian Broadcasting Network appearance recently in which she deemed claims that the world has more living things than it can handle to be pure poppycock.

Her show follows around herself, husband Jim Bob, their nine sons and 10 daughters (all with first names that start with "J") as they relentlessly go forth and multiply. The show's ninth season wrapped up this past Monday. To back this claim up, she claimed the fallacy could demonstrated with a Florida-based equal to overloading a clown car.

"The idea of overpopulation is  not accurate," she said. "Because really, the entire population of the world, if they were stood shoulder to shoulder, could fit in the city limits of Jacksonville. So if you realize that aspect of it, you realize that we're nowhere near being overpopulated."

Duggar added that though she doesn't see the world's sustainable population exactly maxing out anytime soon, she still  promotes responsible, thrifty consumption among her double-digit brood by sticking with buying used goods and giving thrift stores the family's patronage whenever possible. She added that no less than one of Christianity's most revered modern figures once was so bold as to disagree with curbing baby-making.

"I agree with Mother Teresa when she says, 'To say there are too many children is like saying there are too many flowers'. That's the truth of it," Duggar said. "Our world needs more joy and more purpose and just the next generation to be encouraged by those that are going to make a difference for good in our world. That's our prayer for our children - they're going to be the ones making a difference."

Comments on the Digital Spy write-up covering her comments provide a mixed bag of vitriol.

"The world ant overpopulated! God desighned it for hmans to live on! Go Michelle," wrote Anna Owens - yes, with that exact character-for-character spelling.

Others expressed a touch more skepticism.

"Get real woman!" requested Ali Roper. "Go to a zoo and see how many animals are in captivity and the increased number of breeding programmes ongoing all because man has taken its habitat to make room for humans! That land man has developed also contained flowers and trees also extinct or rare!"

Stuart Castle took some issue with the proposed Jacksonville theory, saying, "You can fit 8 grown men in a Mini. Doesn't mean it's feasible for them to live there."

Others didn't really waste words being clever, but got their points across nonetheless.

"What a waste of DNA," said Pam Bracewell.

Check out the comments below for yourself, and let us know what you think: is she off her nut, or on the money?