Nearly half of Americans (48%) say the Beverly Hills doctor who implanted six embryos in unemployed single mother Nadya Suleman should be punished for malpractice.

Thirty-one percent (31%) say Dr. Michael Kamrava should not be punished, while another 21% are not sure, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Among those who say they have been following the Suleman story Very Closely, 65% believe Dr. Kamrava should be punished, while 26% say he should not.

The 33-year-old Suleman, already raising six children on her own with help from public assistance, gave birth to eight more children on January 26, after two of the six implanted embryos split. She has received intense scrutiny from the media and the public, particularly California taxpayers, already faced with delayed tax refunds because of the state's budget crisis.

Two-thirds of Americans (66%) believe if the mother is unable to support the eight new children, Dr. Kamrava is more financially responsible for them than taxpayers. Only 14% disagree, but 21% are not sure which party should be more financially responsible.

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Not surprisingly, most Americans (80%) say the physician never should have implanted the six embryos, while only seven percent (7%) say he made the right choice. Another 13% are undecided.

The survey also found that most Americans (73%) do not think Suleman should be allowed to have any more children. Only 15% disagree, while 13% are undecided.

More men than women believe Dr. Kamrava should be punished for his actions. Over half (55%) of men think so, while less than half (42%) of women agree. Thirty percent (30%) of men and 32% of women say the doctor should not be punished. Over a quarter (26%) of women are not sure, along with only 15% of men.

Forty-five percent (45%) of Americans with children living at home say Kamrava should be punished for malpractice, along with 50% of adults with no children at home. Thirty-seven percent (37%) of parents say the doctor should not be punished, while 27% of adults with no children agree.

Just seven percent (7%) of both parents and those with no children say the embryos should have been implanted in Suleman.

Eighteen percent (18%) of Democrats say California taxpayers are responsible for supporting Suleman and her fourteen kids, but just eight percent (8%) of Republicans agree. Fourteen percent (14%) of those not affiliated with either party say the same.

Seventy-four percent (74%) of Republicans, 63% of Democrats and 58% of unaffiliateds say the doctor is more financially responsible for Suleman's children than taxpayers.

Most Americans (60%) have been following the Suleman story at least somewhat closely, with 22% who have been following it very closely. Thirty-nine percent (39%) say they haven’t been following the story closely.

Suleman is already collecting $490 a month in food stamps and receiving Social Security disability payments for three of her earlier children. An Associated Press analysis puts the cost of delivering and caring for her eight premature babies at an estimated $1.3 million, and the Los Angeles Times reports that the hospital is already seeking reimbursement from the state.

Citing the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the AP said the cost for a single mother to raise 14 children through the age of 17 could run as high as $2.3 million.

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