What would you do if your kid brought home a plastic fetus?

**Dakota Valkyrie** · May 21st, 2010, 08:59 PM

Plastic human fetus dolls - soft, in pink and brown, and about 4 inches long - have been handed out at Oakwood Elementary School by an employee who was put on administrative leave Thursday over the situation.

The dolls, which were distributed over weeks or months, are not authorized by the division as instructional materials, spokeswoman Elizabeth Thiel Mather said Thursday...

Oakwood Principal Sheila Tillett Holas was put on leave today, Thiel Mather said. The division began its investigation after The Pilot asked school leaders this week about the fetus dolls.

The distribution of the life-like forms among grade school children shocked and repelled some parents and teachers and School Board members who discussed them in a closed meeting this week.

"It is hard to imagine that we would have an employee who believes it would be appropriate to share plastic fetus dolls with students in one of our schools," School Board Chairman Stephen Tonelson said Thursday.

An Oakwood teacher told The Pilot that the "squooshy" dolls had been given to students in the third, fourth and fifth grades over several months. The teacher, who asked for anonymity to avoid retaliation from the school for speaking out, said several parents and staff were upset.

The teacher said that attached to the dolls was a card with a "pro-life" message and information on fetal growth.
[...]

An Oakwood parent said her fourth-grade daughter recounted getting one of the dolls from a school employee who handed them out to students during lunch time.

"She comes home with a fetus and says, 'Mommy, look what I got!' and I said, "Where did you get that and why?' It's disturbing to see," said the parent. She asked not to be named so that her daughter wouldn't be vulnerable to retribution at school.

The card accompanying the doll described the first 12 weeks of fetal development, she said.

"As a parent, I choose to teach my children about those things later in life," she added. "I did not sign a waiver for my daughter to be given a fetus."
[...]

Milton N. Greene, Oakwood's PTA president, said he hadn't seen the figures but that another parent told him it was not a fetus - but rather a doll used to show kids how big they are at birth. Anyone who thinks babies are typically 4 inches long at birth needs to retake a few classes.

http://hamptonroads.com/2010/05/anti...rfolk-students

I would probably not object to my kids of that age knowing the actual factual information (although I would prefer it later) BUT not all parents would agree. I certainly would not want either a pro-life OR a pro-choice message attached to the information. Not sure how I would react if my kid came home with this. A teaching moment with my kid... and I would make sure the school learned a thing or two, too.

**Saffron** · May 21st, 2010, 09:06 PM

I don't think I want to know what I'd do if my kids brought something like this home. Might make a war look pretty tame...

**TheMeaningOfItAll** · May 21st, 2010, 09:17 PM

I wouldn't really care about the doll per se, but the message behind it would probably fire me up. Like you, I probably wouldn't mind the factual part since that is something I have glanced over with my daughter when she's had questions about human development. The political message behind the handout may or may not be discussed with my child(ren) depending on whether or not she has questions. It does concern me when a teacher or school tries to sway a child's political/personal beliefs one way or the other...especially at third, fourth and fifth grade. I probably would have a frank discussion with the principal and superintendent.

**Kitty** · May 21st, 2010, 09:24 PM

The Birthright pregnancy center in my hometown used to give out little fetuses like that, only they were made from el cheapo barbie doll plastic. I thought it was creepy then, creepier now that they are sqooshy.

**Valasca** · May 21st, 2010, 09:28 PM

I'd keep that thing and let my kid play with it.
I would also teach the kid alternatives.
Are people going overboard on this? I think so.

**cheeseburgersanchez** · May 21st, 2010, 09:35 PM

We were given hat pins that were supposed to be the print of an 11 week old fetus's feet when I was in fifth grade. I don't think any of our parents cared. I seriously doubt it influenced any of my classmates one way or the other on their views on abortion or anything.

**Saffron** · May 21st, 2010, 09:45 PM

My husband bought those feet print for his hat when his first daughter was born. He had no idea that they were a pro-life pin. He bought a new set for both of our daughters too. My biggest problem is the age groups they are trying to indoctrinate.... Kinda like my friend who told her 6 year old that Obama liked to murder babies... she came to school and told all the kids that he like to murder babies and then eat them with ketchup. Seriously. That is not shit that you tell a 6 year old I don't give a fuck about the politics. Kids are literal. They don't understand the bullshit that some people think is clever. Elementary school kids do NOT need to be told jack shit about abortion in any way, shape or form. The vast vast majority of them don't even know how babies are even made. Hell, a great deal of them don't even seem to know that they were in their mother's womb at one time.

**MC30** · May 21st, 2010, 11:34 PM

they used to give these out at the county fair, they had a whole pro-life booth. i hung mine from my rear-view mirror, with my fuzzy dice.

**Pene784** · May 22nd, 2010, 12:37 AM

Elementary students are most likely too young to understand the abortion issue. Like someone else said most of them haven't a clue how the baby even gets in there to start with or why someone might decide not to continue a pregnancy. This is a very adult issue and should never have been brought up with such young children, which makes me think perhaps this teacher was hoping the kids would show the fetus doll to their parents and get the pro-life message out to them. I do think she deserved to be suspended. She is there to teach children the planned curriculum, not talk about her personal agenda.

**Dakota Valkyrie** · May 22nd, 2010, 07:02 AM

Originally Posted by Pene784

She is there to teach children the planned curriculum, not talk about her personal agenda.

She's not even there to do THAT... she's the principal, not a teacher. I can't even imagine how that conversation came up with kids.

**Dneilz** · May 22nd, 2010, 07:25 AM

If my kid(s) came home with one of these, I would recycle it. I mean, with our population and the amount of plastic sent to our landfills, in the next hundred years we will be swimming in plastic. So yes, that is what I would do.... I would recycle it.

**guillotinegirl** · May 22nd, 2010, 02:12 PM

I would totally freak out if my kid brought home something like this cuz I don't have any kids.

**TwiztidAngel** · May 22nd, 2010, 02:22 PM

elementary school is a bit young IMHO...maybe high school age...but really school shouldnt be teaching about such things unless its in the health class curriculum

**62julietandvoid** · May 22nd, 2010, 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by mommacrazy30

they used to give these out at the county fair, they had a whole pro-life booth. i hung mine from my rear-view mirror, with my fuzzy dice.

That's where I always picked up mine. I still have 2 of them in a box in my closet.

**OMalley** · May 22nd, 2010, 04:50 PM

I would be BULLSHIT if one of my kids was given this at school. It's not the school's job to influence my kids' views on abortion. Displaying the fetus (itself, without any abortion info) as an teaching aide - fine.

My kids aren't that age yet - do 3rd, 4th, & 5th graders need to learn about abortion?

**Tundratot** · May 22nd, 2010, 04:58 PM

I'd ask my daughter what they were about. I'd listen and see if there could possibly be any "reasonable" explanation for giving my daughter such a thing. At best, that would be a classroom model (one of many in different stages of growth, I'd expect).

I'd also be disgusted because I immediately worked out on looking at the pictures and the headline that this was a pro-life infiltration of the school's health curriculum. The school would be hearing from me about it in unflattering terms. I don't expect the school to be hacking for pro-life or pro-choice concerns.

**sodom** · May 22nd, 2010, 05:37 PM

"What would you do if your kid brought home a plastic fetus?"

I've got a big statue of Jesus with no head.I think I'd super glue the fetus.Ass first,where
The Crusts head used to be.Then I'd tell'em Jesus is bullshit and abortion is ok.Sorta.I probably wouldn't use the same words though.......

Blunt and brutal truth is the best way to go.Abortion really isn't all that cool.Cum on her ass,face or feet.Bitches need enough sense to make a hard dick pull out if she's fertile.But,heat of passion,rape and incest.You Demonites know.Should stay away from this glowing box when I'm drinking........

**sodom** · May 22nd, 2010, 05:51 PM

Yeah I said"bitches".In the best of ways though.I'm a bad dog!!!!

**cubby** · May 22nd, 2010, 09:33 PM

No matter what side of this issue you stand on this was inappropriate for children of this age group. Anywhere from 6 to 10 is what I figure those grades amount to. But I probably wouldn't make a fuss, just take it away, cause the bigger fuss you make about something the more attention your kids pay to it.

**Marv** · May 25th, 2010, 05:47 AM

The dolls, which were distributed over weeks or months,

If she was doing this off her own bat and not as part of the school curriculum, how did she get away with it for so long?

My son is very curious and asks questions constantly. I would probably do my best to answer any that he asked (like I always do), but I would certainly be paying a visit to the school to ask wtf they thought they were playing at! And I'd let him play with it. It looks no worse than those squooshy bug things he loves so much!

**Athena** · May 25th, 2010, 01:03 PM

I would probably try to assess whether or not any programming had been performed in conjunction with this "gift". If there had, I'd engage in a little de-programming. I will encourage my child to let facts and logic guide her opinions on subjects like this, not simply what is spoon-fed to her by zealots (even if it's me doing the feeding).

Kids get bombarded with this stuff regardless. There are anti-abortion and pro-choice billboards, TV commercials, radio commercials, etc. Something like this would be an opportunity to learn and I think getting visibly angry or disturbed by this would set an unhealthy precedent. But I'm never going to assume my child is "too young" to consider such topics. I think she'll illustrate her capacity just fine on her own, and if she has difficulty grasping it, it can wait for another day.

Edit: By the way, for those who DO consider this age group too young, I think it's worth mentioning that my first F.L.A.S.H. classes (Family Living and Sexual Health) were conducted in 5th grade. I don't recall whether or not abortion was specifically addressed, but they did address all sorts of STDs and childbirth. If those topics can be taught to and understood by 5th graders, I'd imagine abortion could be as well.

**ImmortalOne** · May 25th, 2010, 06:59 PM

While morally it wasn't the place of the school employee. Children in 5th grade NEED to see what a baby is like and start their sex ed early. Our teen pregnancy is out of control and the parents aren't teaching what they should and don't want the schools to do it. Someone has to.

**princesskrysteena** · May 25th, 2010, 08:43 PM

This happened at a high school here in Roswell. The plastic fetus' were confiscated shortly after being handed out...the students in the pro-life group are now suing school officials for violation of the first amendment.

http://www.roswell-record.com/articl...tuses?id=74809 (not sure how to post a link...)

I think its more appropriate for high school aged kids NOT elementary school kids....my 7 year old still doesnt fully understand where babies come from...

**coffee achiever** · May 25th, 2010, 09:37 PM

Kids are becoming sexually active at younger and younger ages. Look at the missing TWELVE year old girl (found dead) who was dating an EIGHTEEN YEAR OLD boy. Now they're alleging she was pregnant. TWELVE. That's 6th grade.

Nobody wants to think that could be their daughter (or son), but don't kid yourselves. Athena is right - kids get bombarded with (mis)information about sex from all directions, starting at birth. And teen girls are especially targeted with hyper-sexualized images: Bratz dolls, Cheetah Girls, etc, etc, etc. They eat that shit up, starting in PRESCHOOL. I'm already having to lay the groundwork with my 3-year-old daughter so that I can try to combat it when she gets older.

So yeah, hopefully by the time she's in 5th grade, I've done my job and she knows what a fetus is and how it got there and how to prevent getting a real one of her own until she's good and damn ready. "Adult" issues aside, sex is fundamentally a bodily function, just like peeing and pooping. There's no good reason she can't learn about the biological mechanics of it... all the baggage we adults have attached to it, she can learn as she gets older.