A married couple have sparked outrage by setting up a website to let the public vote on whether they should have – an ABORTION.
Pete and Alisha Arnold, both 30, launched www.birthornot.com because they are unsure if they want to be parents.
They launched the X Factor-style vote so the public can ”make a difference in the real world”.
The couple, of Minneapolis, USA, are uploading regular scan images of the foetus, which is a perfectly-healthy boy they have nicknamed ‘Wiggles’.
Alisha is now 17 weeks pregnant and web users have until December 7 to cast their vote – just two days before the 20-week cut-off line for a state-legal abortion.
The latest results shows a fairly split opinion, with 46.27 per cent voting to keep the baby and 53.73 per cent wanting the couple to have an abortion.
Writing on her blog, Alisha said she fears the pressure of juggling motherhood and a career could cause her to have a nervous breakdown.
“Part of the American identity”
She wrote: ”I’m not convinced that I want to change the status quo. I feel that as I age I’ve actually gotten more selfish and set in my ways.
”I’m afraid that I will eventually regret starting a family and ‘settling down’, as they say.
”I fear that the constant pressure to be the perfect wife and mother while maintaining a full-time job will eventually cause my brain to implode and lead to a nervous breakdown.”
Their solution to the dilemma was to set up a public vote, which the couple say is in the best traditions of American democracy.
They state on the site: ”Voting is such an integral part of the American identity.
”We vote on everything from the best singer on American Idol to who the next leader of the free world will be.
”Wouldn’t it be nice to voice your opinion and have it actually make a difference in the real world? Why not vote on whether to continue or abort an actual pregnancy?”
Pete and Alisha, who have been married for nine years, both work in the IT industry and are keen bloggers.
They have suffered two miscarriages in the past ten months – the first at 16 weeks and the second at five weeks.
Despite falling pregnant for the third time, the couple say they are unsure whether to proceed because they have put off having a child for so long.
Writing on his blog, Pete said: ”We’ve put off having a kid for so long that I worry there is stagnation in our desire to do so.
”At first we put it off to finish our childhood, and then I decided mine was not going to end without a push.
”By that time Alisha had just gotten a new job and was getting settled, so we put it off longer.
”Now, nearly ten years after our marriage the prospect of being in my 50s when a kid graduates childhood is a bit unnerving.”
Some claim the website is a pro-life publicity stunt but the couple have strenuously denied this.
“You need professional help”
They told US website Gawker: ”We are taking this very seriously. It’s definitely not a pro-life campaign, we believe in a woman’s right to choose.
”It’s kind of like Congress. They might vote for something, but the president has the final veto. If it’s overwhelming one way or the other, that will carry a lot more weight.”
David Davidson, who voted anonymously on the poll, had a change of heart after viewing the baby scans – and he begged them to consider their actions.
He said: ”Just because I acted like an immature little child who didn’t weigh the cost of manipulating this poll because I thought it would be ‘funny’ doesn’t mean you should sacrifice your child to the internet deity that is ‘Anonymous’.”
Another anonymous user added: ”If you’re dumb enough to let random strangers on the internet decide the fate of your family, then you are certainly not mature enough to be parents. You need professional help.”
Despite this, Pete and Alisha have continued with the website and ”support people encouraging others to voice their opinions on an issue as large as keeping a baby or not.”
Pro-life groups slammed the abortion vote website.
Mike Judge, Head of Communications for The Christian Institute, said: ”If it’s genuine, it’s appalling. Even if it’s a prank, it’s in very bad taste.
”Abortion is a highly sensitive issue. If there’s anything anything good to come from this it is unlikely. I don’t support it whether serious or a prank.
”I’ve never seen anything like it, I can’t conceive of anything so immature.
”This isn’t the way to do it, to raise an issue. Having looked at the website and noting the couple’s language, I can’t believe a pro-choice supporter would use that language.
”We deal with lots of different issues. Would you get someone’s father or mother suffering Alzheimer’s and run a poll to see if we should put a pillow over their face? It’s just not the way to go about it.”
What absolutely careless selfish arrogant fools. They should never have got pregant if they didn’t want it. Youc an’t just change your mind like the baby’s a shopping order.
It’s not always intentional, and who cares if they want to be selfish? is it not up to you whether they have the child or not, if they do not want the child then you think they will give him/her a good life and a good upbringing?
People like you disgust me who try to force people what to do, it’s there own fucking body.
I was almost 5 months pregnant when the father of my son came to me and told me he had changed his mind and consulted his brother about where I should get an abortion. I think he remembers what I said in return very well. He wrote about it later. Unfortunately, he never really loved or cared about his son who was born with congenital heart disease. We did not know until he was a month old as it was a family secret that his younger brother died (or I was told was strangled) with a heart defect. Anyone who is that wishy washy should not be having children. And to think this child was planned. . .
These two fat morons cant look after their own bodies so should probably not extent their gene pool that said is this the America that wants the world to respect it?
I think this is disgusting. I can’t put into words how bloody angry I am at this. These stupid selfish arseholes are playing with a life like it’s a toy. An abortion is something that should be decided between the couple not the whole world. Whatever anybody says it will still be down to the couple. How could they be so SICK as to put the abortion to a public vote. I don’t know what’s happening with this world, but there r some twisted people in it. All they r thinking about is themselves. If they were not ready for a baby, they shouldn’t have jumped into bed without protection. They r 30, is not like they r too young to keep this baby. I hope their baby really plays up for them in life. Disgusting people!!!
i am completly discused in those vile people in america. i can not belive that they could want to get rid of a little life . this little baby never asked to be concieved! how come people like this get pregnant so easy and thier are good kind peolpe who would give any thing to be pregnant with a healthy baby no matter what age they are this world is so crule . i feel for this child if it dose get a chance to survive how is it going to feel when it grows up and finds out this has gone on
What vile disgusting people they are!