Facebook's 'Expected: Child' status: Oversharing?

In a hotly debated move, the social networking giant now lets users list an unborn child as a "family member"

Expectant mother
(Image credit: Sandra Seckinger/Corbis)

Last week, Facebook quietly rolled out a new feature: Expectant parents can now list their pregnancy status alongside other personal information such as relationship status and employer. In an intriguing move that has courted controversy and has the tech world buzzing, users can now modify their profiles' "Friends and Family" section to list an "expected: child" as a family member and even list the imminent baby's proposed name and due date. Is this a worthwhile new feature or a problematic over-share?

This puts a wonderful emphasis on unborn life: Facebook should be applauded for this new feature, says Penny Nance, the President and CEO of the anti-abortion group Concerned Women for America, as quoted at The Daily Caller. It acknowledges that the fetus, "although not yet born" is "already a member of a family." Sure, it's likely to rankle pro-abortion rights groups like Planned Parenthood, but I think it's commendable to acknowledge an unborn child as a person.

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