Vote on Whether This Couple Gets an Abortion

[lame54]

http://gawker.com/5692958/vote-on-whether-this-couple-gets-an-abortion

Vote on Whether This Couple Gets an Abortion



The Arnolds are having a baby. Unless the public votes to have the child aborted. Meet the couple behind Birthornot.com, where "you can vote and choose whether we abort or keep our unborn child."

Pete and Alisha Arnold, both 30, both tech professionals, live in the Minneapolis suburb of Apple Valley and have been married for 10 years. Since September, they've blogged about their expected child at birthornot.com, posting health updates about the mother and the fetus (which will be 17 weeks-old tomorrow), and ultrasound pictures and video. But at the top of the blog is a poll hosted by PollDaddy.com. The question: "Should We Give Birth or Have an Abortion?" "Give Birth" has 46 percent of the vote at the moment, with "Have an Abortion" at 54 percent. The poll closes on December 7th...

That someone would do this is almost impossible to believe, of course. We asked the Arnolds if this was some sort of a prank. "No, it's not. We are taking this very seriously," Pete replied. We then asked if this was some sort of convoluted pro-life stunt. Alisha laughed. "It's definitely not a pro-life campaign," she said. "I believe in a woman's right to choose."

...According to the couple, they've been unsure about whether they're ready to be parents and have concluded that the best way to proceed is to ask random people on the Internet if they should have the child. (Tests have revealed that the fetus is a boy.) Alisha said that two pregnancies ended in two miscarriages in the past year and a half. During the second pregnancy, the couple bought the birthornot.com domain, and were in the process of deciding whether to put the birth up to a vote when they lost the baby. When Alisha got pregnant a third time a few months ago, they decided to launch birthornot.com...

http://www.birthornot.com/

[flvegan]

1. How horrible. I wouldn't let "the internet" decide which socks I should wear.

[slackmaster]

2. I'm as pro-choice as the next guy, but this strikes me as disgusting

I don't understand how someone could in good conscience defer such an important and personal decision to the whims of whatever anonymous twits on the Web decide to vote in their silly poll.

I think it has to be shenanigans, but I refuse to vote anyway; and there is no way I'm going to re-post the story anywhere in any form.

[Luciferous]

8. +1

[Crystal Clarity]

17. I think that's the point..to elicit disgust

Despite their protestations of this not being an anti-choice campaign, it sure sounds and feels like one.

BTW 17 weeks (2nd trimester) is pretty late for an abortion. I doubt they'd find a doctor willing to do it very easily at this point unless there is some medical reason

[toddwv]

19. +1

Disgusting people. I vote that regardless of the outcome of the vote that he has his nuts snipped and she gets her tubes tied.

[struggle4progress]

65. +

[GodlessBiker]

3. Get the knitting needles, and then a large sock filled with horse manure.

[Taverner]

4. Stupid idea

Why wouldn't it surprise me if Tila Tequila did it too?

[LiberalFighter]

5. Apparently they are not ready to have kids.

Yet they continue to try and have kids with 2 miscarriages and they are asking that question? It appears that they want kids.

They shouldn't be asking strangers about this. They should consult the doctor, their parents and if depending on their leaning their minister. They don't necessarily need to do their parents and minister but the doctor should be in the picture.

[Love Bug]

6. This kind of stunt cheapens the debate and gives fuel

to the anti-choicers who claim women abort on a whim. Shame on them.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

50. Sounds like that's the point

They are sick.

[joshcryer]

55. Whim is a legitimate reason to chose to have an abortion.

That's what these fuckers don't understand.

[Love Bug]

60. Oh, I agree. It's none of our business but they are making it our business

[Love Bug]

61. Oh, I agree. It's none of our business but they are making it our business

[Warpy]

7. Uh, at 12 weeks, it was a choice

At 17 weeks, it's considered a late term abortion, which means there need to be compelling reasons for it, medical reasons.

This is dishonest as well as disgusting. Shame on them.

[Gormy Cuss]

9. Wait, WHAT?

.According to the couple, they've been unsure about whether they're ready to be parents and have concluded that the best way to proceed is to ask random people on the Internet if they should have the child. (Tests have revealed that the fetus is a boy.) Alisha said that two pregnancies ended in two miscarriages in the past year and a half.

Not sure they're ready to be parents and this is their third pregnancy in two years?
This is so sad on so many levels.

[rug]

10. Give birth then get sterilized.

[pink-o]

23. and give the child to some good people who want to adopt and be REAL parents!

[Toucano]

11. Vulgar idiots.n/t

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

12. Whatever 4chan decides... that's what the outcome will be.

[AngryAmish]

30. the country is in the best of hands...

[slackmaster]

34. As long as no cats or dogs are harmed, I'm sure 4chan will be reasonable

:crazy:

[arcane1]

13. Not sure if they're ready + 3 pregnancies = two stupid people n/t

[joshcryer]

57. This is her FOURTH pregnancy, all the others miscarried.

[Mz Pip]

14. I vote long term therapy

These two have serious issues if they feel the need to bring their most personal decisions into an internet forum. It's worse than Jerry Springer.

[Fearless]

22. +1000

[immoderate]

15. How to offend people on both sides of the issue.

I am 100% pro-choice, but I am horrified by this. This is disrespectful of life.

--imm

[GreenPartyVoter]

16. I was so desperate to start a family. After my two miscariages there would have

been no way I could have launched such a site, even as a joke or if I had suddenly changed my mind about becoming a parent.

Good Lord!

[RZM]

18. If they keep it, what will they tell the child?

'You know, you should be thanking the users of PollDaddy.com, because without them, you wouldn't exist.'

[Nuclear Unicorn]

37. PollDaddy seems ironic in the extreme

[RZM]

43. I hadn't thought of that . . .

Good one ;)

[Nuclear Unicorn]

52. That's why they keep me around

comic relief

[Radical Activist]

51. The kid: "I didn't ask to be born!" Dad: "Yes, but thousands of people on the internet did!"

[jwirr]

20. I do not have the right to vote on another persons abortion, That is

the total opposite of personal choice.

[sixmile]

21. Disgusting and wrong on every level

A triumph of ignorance and arrogance.

THIS is why we need parenting licenses!

[Iggo]

24. Yes, because this absolutely should be some kind of game.

[TuxedoKat]

25. This makes me so sad

I'm pro-choice, FWIW.

[Brickbat]

26. Looking forward to finding out what movie, book deal, art project or social commentary this is meant

to promote.

[proteus_lives]

27. Disgusting.

These people don't deserve children.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

38. The child definitely deserves better than them

[Barack_America]

28. Disgusting, irresponsible and cruel.

Disgusting that they've taken a serious and personal decision and have made it a public game.

Irresponsible that they claim to not be desiring a child and yet have had 3 pregnancies in the past 1.5 years; and that they're supposedly willing to allow this pregnancy to progress to a point of a "late term" abortion.

Cruel that they're effectively spitting in the face of the many couples who struggle to get pregnant.


I'm inclined to agree with those who suspect that this is, in fact, a very pro-LIFE couple trying to demonize abortion.

[Mona Blue]

29. Jesus Christ.

This is just plain wrong. I was tempted to say HAVE THE KID just to encourage them to go through 18 years of hell, but the kid would probably be abused.

[kestrel91316]

31. What are they doing getting her pregnant repeatedly if they aren't even

mature enough to make up their minds on their own??

[joshcryer]

58. She says two (three?) were planned.

She got pregnant three times this year. The other two were planned so we can assume this one is planned.

She's 100% not serious about this. It's all a gimmick.

[sinkingfeeling]

32. I'd rather vote on their insanity. However, they should never be parents because of

wanting the complete strangers to make their decisions for them.

[hobbit709]

33. That's 2 prime examples of why they should have retroactive abortions.

[RaleighNCDUer]

35. IMO, anybody who would do this, for whatever reason, it would be

better for the world if they had no children.

[Egnever]

36. If you have to ask the answer seems pretty clear to me

I don't hold out a lot of hope for a child born into such a situation.

[bluedeminredstate]

39. Have it

then have it taken away by social services! Since this is their third pregnancy and they still don't know if they want children and would be willing to abort an 18+ week fetus, perhaps these people should invest in a vasectomy. This sure seems like an anti-choice stunt to me.

[gkhouston]

40. Can we vote for adoption at birth? These idiots aren't ready to raise a kid.

Either this is a pro-life stunt, a publicity stunt, or they're truly that out of touch with reality. All three possibilities indicate a low likelihood of good parenting coming out of these whackadoodles.

[Odin2005]

41. That is disgusting.

[Bucky]

42. If they're not pulling down a ton of cash in advertising revenues, they're idiots

They're posting ultrasound images online. There's just no way they ever seriously considered having an abortion here. But they really should be finding a way to make some money off of this.

[joshcryer]

56. Oh I'm sure they're making a lot of money off of it, no doubt. And it's definitely fake.

She's been trying to get knocked up all year.

[Poll_Blind]

44. To turn such an intensely personal decision into an Internet sensation is disgusting.

I mean it. As a regular watcher of politics and world news I am constantly exposed to a baseball stadium of odious human behavior.

But this one is a home run out of the park.

PB

[Poll_Blind]

45. In 5 years, maybe they'll do OpenHandedSlapOrNot.com. $5 a vote, either way.

A full 4% of the bids will go to the child's therapy and adult rehabilitation for having such fuck holes for parents.

PB

[elehhhhna]

46. DEBUNKED. Antichoice stealth campaign. Stupid one, at that

because even if you're anti-choice you've got to at least have the thought that they have atrocious judgement and shoudl not become parents.

[geardaddy]

47. It's definitely an anti-choice site.

It's a little red down there in Crapple Valley.

[we can do it]

48. Too Stupid To Pass On Genes

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

49. Unreal

Sick, sick human beings.

[LisaL]

53. Who is going to post a bunch of baby ultrasounds

on their website and ask people on whether to have an abortion for not?
I don't believe these people are considering abortion.

[joshcryer]

54. delete misread

apparently they are keeping it up despite 4chan's actions, I guess they are relying on freepers to keep them from having to answer questions when they don't abort

[TK421]

59. Nothing shocks me anymore...what else needs to be said?

[blondeatlast]

62. I vote they both go straight to hell. This is horribly disrespectful to thoughtful people on both

sides of the abortion issue--and God help that poor child if they decide to carry ti to term.

School will be a living hell for that child.

[jmowreader]

63. This is fucked up right here

I guess "keep it or put it up for adoption" never occurred to them.

[sufrommich]

64. The anti choice so called ""pro life" websites are calling it a stunt.

The couple is anti choice.

[alp227]

66. This sorta reminds me of Proposition 8, the vote on gay marriage.

Ugh. I wonder how much this couple accepted from the anti-abortion lobby. CNN reported:

"This website gives the impression that making this profoundly personal decision is akin to voting on a reality TV show," said Ted Miller, spokesperson for NARAL Pro-Choice America, in a statement. "It is an insult to women and couples who have struggled with making this decision. Most people will dismiss this site as a sad attempt to get attention."