Wondering whether to have a baby? Here's who can help. Random online strangers who have no clue about you or your life but can offer you an answer to that question. That's not all. Couples actually seek advice from them! And you could be one of them.
Here's the story of the Arnolds, who are asking people on
Birthornot.com
to web vote whether to have their baby or get an abortion. Pete and Alisha Arnold, both 30, are tech professionals who have been married for 10 years.
The couple has apparently been blogging about their expected child at birthornot.com, posting health updates about the mother and the foetus (which will be 17 weeks-old tomorrow), and ultrasound pictures and video, reported
Gawker.com
.
But the interesting part is that on top of the page is a poll hosted by
PollDaddy.com
, which asks, "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.
Pete Arnold told the website that after checking the results for fraud and double voting, the couple will go with the decision of the voters. 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 foetus is a boy.)
Pete Arnold told the website that after checking the results for fraud and double voting, the couple will go with the decision of the voters. 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 foetus is a boy.)
When asked if this was some sort of a prank, Arnold said, "No, it's not. We are taking this very seriously." Well, obviously even if it was the case, then clearly they seem to have succeeded to quite an extent.
Then
Gawker
asked them if it 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."
Hmm, and these are the parents who are (probably) going to bring that boy up. Anyway, we wonder what happens if and when that kid is born and finds out about who decided that he should be born.