Co-Created Abortion?

Posted by WisconsInnovation at 4:49 PM

Abortion is a highly politicized topic with important ramifications. The decision to abort a pregnancy is extremely personal in nature and one that typically entails substantial anguish. Well, that was then; this is now. Pete and Alisha Arnold of Apple Valley, Minnesota, who are currently struggling with this difficult dilemma, have decided to elicit the power of the Internet to help them reach a decision. They have created a blog for their unborn child (birthornot.com) and are asking for your help. On this blog, you can learn more about them, see an ultrasound image of their unborn baby ("Wiggles") and vote whether or not they should have an abortion. Their tagline claims, "You can vote and choose whether we abort or keep our unborn child." They claim that they will follow the wisdom of the crowd (The final day for votes is December 9). In essence, they appear to be engaged in co-creating an abortion. Is this democracy in action or an example of really bad parenting?

 

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8 comments:

  1. Duncan Wannamaker said... November 25, 2010 at 8:30 PM

    Very interesting story, thank you for posting.

    I would argue that this does not fall into the same category as some of the other user-led ventures we have discussed in class. This appears to be just a couple trying to gain a bit of fame by allowing people to vote polarizing topic. The common thread among all of the user-led ventures we have discussed in this course is that they generally created added utility for users by allowing them to co-create. Also, most (not all) of the examples we have discussed created added profits for the producer by giving customers more freedom

    This does not create value for anyone involved. The people who vote stand nothing to gain from their contribution, and I can see no conceivable way that this couple would benefit from having this decision made by others.  

  2. WisconsInnovation said... November 25, 2010 at 9:40 PM

    Excellent insights, Duncan. I generally concur. I was indeed stretching the term "co-creation" by applying it to this example. I am a bit unclear about their motivation. There are some reports that suggest that this is a pro-life publicity stunt. Indeed, up until a few days ago, the voting results were 75-25 in favor of giving birth. Interestingly, over the past couple of days, the vote has swung in the other direction due to a mass voting effort put forward by members of the anonymous posting board, 4chan (www.4chan.org).  

  3. dylanml said... November 28, 2010 at 11:31 AM

    This is nothing but shameless selfpromotion for a couple seemingly trying to launch a reality television career.  

  4. Talia said... November 30, 2010 at 2:22 PM

    I agree with all of the above comments, and I do think that the couple is only doing it for fame purposes. However, I think that the blog for them is pointless. I do not believe that they have not in fact made a decision. I believe they have. Either they have made a joint decision and just want to test the reactions, or they disagree and are using this site as a mediator. I believe they are swayed in one way.  

  5. Josh said... November 30, 2010 at 4:32 PM

    I believe this defeats the purpose of innovation. Innovation is a new unique idea or creation that can benefit society or solve problems. Creating a website that allows users to vote if a couple should have an abortion hinders societal growth and only personifys issues surrounding abortion. There is such a thing as negative innovation and this definitely falls under that category.

    Clearly the couple is distraught with the decision involving child birth. A better and more innovative idea would be to create a forum where people can share their stories involving this type of decision. A place where a community could foster knowledge surrounding the issues and couples like this can turn too to look for help. The website could offer facts and information about where to find an abortion clinic as well as organizations who are here to help people make the best decision regarding childbirth.  

  6. Katie Lorenz said... December 2, 2010 at 4:47 PM

    This couple is clearly just trying to get the next reality TV spot. It's interesting to see how many people voted on their blog...  

  7. Katie Lorenz said... December 2, 2010 at 4:47 PM
    This comment has been removed by the author.
  8. Seamus Mehls said... December 5, 2010 at 11:45 PM

    Bad parenting. Plain and simple, there are just some things that should not be left up to the 'wisdom of crowds'

    Just think about this: If the kid is voted to be born, what will he think if he finds out his parents will willing to put his future life up for vote?  

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