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Couple Asks Internet To Vote On Whether Or Not They Should Have An Abortion

by Jon Bershad | 12:08 pm, November 18th, 2010

» 21 comments

Finally, there’s something that both the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life camps can agree on (besides the fact that the terms “pro-choice” and “pro-life” are patently ridiculous). That something is the fact that this is really creepy and gross. Last night, Gawker reported on a Minneapolis couple who is letting Internet users vote on whether or not they should have an abortion. I totally understand the impulse. The other day I asked my Twitter friends if it was warm enough for me to go outside without a coat which is totally the same thing…What? No, it’s not? At all? Oh.

Yes, Pete and Alisha Arnold have registered the website BirthOrNot.com (what a shock that that URL wasn’t taken) and are using the Poll Daddy service to ask users to vote on whether or not they should carry their unborn baby to term. You know Poll Daddy. It’s the great service that Styleite uses to ask people what they thought of Emma Watson’s red carpet dress. This is exactly like that…Wait, what? It’s not? I see.

Gawker’s Adrian Chen called up the couple to find out how this whole thing came about:

“Pete told us over the phone that on that day he plans to check Polldaddy’s records to make sure there hasn’t been any double-voting or other evidence of fraud and then he and Alisha will use the results to decide whether to keep the baby. They’ll have two days to make a decision before the 20th week of Alisha’s pregnancy ends, and, with it, her last chance to get an abortion. The poll will influence their decision heavily, the couple said by phone this evening, but it won’t be binding. ‘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.’

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.’”

That Congress comparison makes a lot of sense. Congress makes life or death situations all the time and clearly Internet users are just like our elected officials, right?…No, they’re nothing like that? Huh. Good to know.

So, how’s the poll tipping? Well, apparently it’s heading towards abortion. Many believe this to be the work of 4chan who, entirely unsurprisingly, is all over this thing. Yesterday, the couple wrote a post on their site responding to criticism that they should make sure to discredit 4chan votes:

“I understand the frustration some of you hold with our decision to not limit votes from 4chan or remove the vote completely.
I see 4chan as encouraging people to vote in the poll. How they do it is beyond my control and should not influence decisions about what we are doing here. We support people encouraging others to voice their opinions on an issue as large as keeping a baby or not. The whole point of what we are doing is to allow you as an individual to make a difference.”

Good for you, Arnolds! 4chan users should be allowed to have a say in your abortion just as much as readers from any other part of the Internet!

What’s that? No, they shouldn’t? No one should except the parents? Huh. You don’t say.

Check out Gawker’s interview here. And make sure you vote here! There’s only so much time left!

Abortion, Alisha Arnold, Pete Arnold, This Exists

skyfet

My vote would be for them to have the baby and give it in adoption immediately as they are not fit to be parents.
Seeing 2012 From My Window

I’m absolutely disgusted by this and agree with skyfet. Mark this day, because I’m quite certain it will not happen again.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Antony-Dupuy/1194612935 Antony Dupuy

They look like pretty shitty parents to me, and whether they abort or not, we’d probably end up paying for all three of the f*ckers in the long run.

Abort all three of ‘em
Robert Quigley

My money’s on David Thorne.
ROCKSTEADY

Kinda stupid to put your names and photo out there with junk like this.There are way to many crazy people out in the world who may take matters into their own hands.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Mark-Ward/100000135233619 Mark Ward

Abortion or Adoption – your choice (as long as WE’RE not paying for it).

Either way – YOU have no business being a PARENT (as you CLEARLY don’t give a RAT’S REAR END about the CHILD).

I would ALSO strongly urge you BOTH to consider vasectomy/tubal ligation (for you Public Schoolers, that sugical contraception) – as your genes should be REMOVED from the world-wide gene pool FOREVER.
CAconservative

If these people are that weak of mind, and character, maybe they should the poor child up for adoption. There’s no reason he/she should have to live with idiots.
BatBoy

They win the first “Worst Couples of the 21st Century” Award!

I cannot imagine what their parents are going through!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Kelly/720731075 Chris Kelly

Twelve years ago, there was a site where a supposed real-life couple were going to lose their maidenheads on the internet. I believe it turned out to be a scam.
Seeing 2012 From My Window

Something tells me this lady vote for the abortion:

Rutgers Prof On Having Lots of Kids: It‘s ’Littering’

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/rutgers-prof-on-having-lots-of-kids-its-littering/
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jon-Martin/43100610 Jon Martin

I’m pro-choice.. but this is like some sick game to them. **** them.
philipjames

I think they should hold a simultaneous poll with the question:

Should this couple be given a full frontal lobotomies so we don’t have to see or
hear from these useless human beings again:

Yes
No

Please donate to uselesshumanbeings.org as we will need $250 for each lobotomy.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Mark-Caplinger/1530802200 Mark Caplinger

I sent them a message and told them I thought it was pretty stupid that they were asking other people’s opinions about a decision that only THEY will have to live with.

I’m really getting tired of hearing that humans have progressed so much from centuries ago. We don’t act any different from the animals you see at the zoo.
TCinAZ

Seems that there are evidently Not a whole lotta Branches in Either of Their Family Trees. So they Should have the kid and DCFS should then Take Jr. or Her from Them Immediately, since the Foster Parents couldn’t Possibly do any Worse of a job Raising the kid, than Either of Those Two Inbred F’ks would.
disenlightened

Political “moderates” no doubt. Can’t make a single decision without putting the old finger in the air and seeing which way the wind is blowing.
greg454

These people don’t deserve to be parents, they have the right to do it but it doesn’t make it right, they should have an abortion or put the kid up for adoption, because nobody should grow up with monsters like those.
http://politicallyincorrectlibertarian.wordpress.com
http://www.leagueofpower.com leagueofpower

Its all a big marketing ploy. All this fuss and then they will sell their story so they can pay all their medical bills! Then they will go back to living off of the state again.
Shame on the media for giving this the advertisement that they wanted.
Jayson

Its hard to believe a couple can find this such a flippant subject, that they’ll let the public decide the fate of their unborn child. This is a personal subject that only they should be dealing with. A very important decision has to be made. Its a subject that should be kept personal. They should be discussing their options with the doctor or church if thats their calling. Leave the public out of it.
Now I see the couple are in demand for interviews from all over. They’re having their fleeting moment of fame because of thier babys fate, that lies in the balance of public voting. How sick is that?

This couple, (I won’t give them the respect of being called parents,) can say or use every excuse in the world about why they’ve chosen to have this “baby live, baby die” vote, but as far as I’m concerned, the whole idea is sickening.
I truly hope this child will have the chance to live. And, the moment it utters its first cry, will be taken away from this disgusting couple forever.
dlauf87

i’d hate to be their kid
cjd ohio 1

maybe we are to late, their parents are the ones that should have had abortions
Tater Salad

Here is your new, government run healthcare plan that was rammed down our throats while the doors of transparency were shut by the Democratic controlled Congress while keeping the American people from knowing what was hidden in the 2700 pages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcBaSP31Be8&pl...