Should you have an abortion? Ask the internet
A Minneapolis couple is polling visitors on their website to decide whether or not to keep their baby. Political prank or desperate bid for attention?

The video: A Minneapolis couple is causing a huge uproar by asking internet users for abortion advice. Pete and Alisha Arnold, both 30, are putting their decision to a vote on their website, birthornot.com. (View a video of their ultrasound, below.) Alisha is nearly 17 weeks along, and the polls will be open until December 7th — just before the 20th week of her pregnancy ends, and, with it, "her last chance to get an abortion [in Minnesota]." Married for ten years, the Arnolds insist this isn't a prank or pro-life campaign, but rather an exercise in democracy. Pete calls the vote a chance for both pro-lifers and pro-choicers to be "heard" and to make a "difference in the real world." Commentators, however, aren't so sure.
The reaction: This is either an "idiotic prank" or a "pro-life stunt," say Adrian Chen at Gawker, pointing out that Alisha's Facebook "likes" include Glenn Beck and that Pete once made a pro-Bush comment on CNN. In either case, Tracy Clark-Flory at Salon says, "the choice of whether or not to abort should be left up to a woman and her doctor, not to the entire internet... these people should never, ever raise a kid." There's one thing the pro-choice and pro-life camps can agree on, says Jon Bershad at Mediaite: "This is really creepy and gross." Watch the video:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
A running list of RFK Jr.'s controversies
In Depth The man atop the Department of Health and Human Services has had no shortage of scandals over the years
By Brigid Kennedy
-
Film reviews: Sinners and The King of Kings
Feature Vampires lay siege to a Mississippi juke joint and an animated retelling of Jesus' life
By The Week US
-
Music reviews: Bon Iver, Valerie June, and The Waterboys
Feature "Sable, Fable," "Owls, Omens, and Oracles," "Life, Death, and Dennis Hopper"
By The Week US
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: who are the billionaires backing?
The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK