20 November 2010

Couple set up online poll to decide on abortion

A US couple who are expecting a baby boy are asking internet users to vote on whether or not they should have the child aborted.

Alisha Arnold is 16 weeks pregnant but she and husband Pete have opened an online poll because they are unsure if they want to be parents, the New York Daily News reports.

The question on their website asks, "Should we give birth or have an abortion?"

At the time of publishing, over 104,000 say the couple should give birth while 25,207 say they should terminate the pregnancy.

Some websites say the couple's website is a pro-life hoax aimed at upsetting anti-abortionists.

Websites such as Gawker claim Mr Arnold, who has worked in IT for nine years, used to be a blogger for right-wing websites.

But the Arnolds, who have dubbed the healthy baby boy "Wiggles", insist their website is genuine.

"If people come to the conclusion that it's meant to be a stunt, that's definitely not the case," Mr Arnold said in an interview, where he also denied claims he and his wife were political activists.

"We are taking this very seriously. It's definitely not a pro-life campaign, we believe in a woman's right to choose — if it's overwhelming one way or the other, that will carry a lot more weight."

The couple said they set up the website so the public "could make a difference in the real world".

The website has outraged pro-life groups, who have branded the website "spine-chilling" and "horrifying".

Mr Arnold said he and his wife, who live in Minnesota, have had two miscarriages and that they both disagree on the topic of abortion. He wouldn't elaborate further.

Sceptics say the sonogram photographs uploaded on the couple's site also indicate it is a hoax because it is "clear evidence" the site is pro-life.

However the Arnolds say they will follow through with the results from the vote, which closes on December 7, two days before the 20-week cut-off line for a state-legal abortion.

Mr Arnold said whatever the result, he and his wife would not rule out having another child.

"I'm certainly open to having more kids ... [but] we wouldn't put it up for a vote like that again."

20 Nov 2010

Aside from the speculation that this could be a media stunt, the fact that this type of behaviour is entertained is quite concerning.

The greatest problem is that these people have the right to breed indiscriminately without any checks of fitness to raise a child.

From the simple fact that the couple have had 2 previous miscarriages indicates that there is a problem, either too fat or just plain too stupid to breed.


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