Given the chance guys, would you?
September 25th 2008 15:18
One of the most intriguing newspaper feature articles I have seen was a series of responses by men to the question: given the opportunity through some medical miracle to get pregnant and give birth to a baby, would you do so?
It is hard to say what one expects from such a question. A reasonable response would be ... what?
The men in this instance were all business tycoons or entertainment celebrities, chosen by the newspaper for marketing appeal, but that didn't stop them coming up with a wide range of answers.
At one extreme, there were a couple of men who expressed revulsion at the idea. They might not have used that word, but they made it clear that, in their opinion, bearing babies was women's work. They could not imagine any circumstances in which they would be tempted to give it a try.
There was a wide middle ground with men considering various positives and negatives of the proposition.
And at the other end was a man who waxed lyrically about the awe and wonder of such an experience. How could anyone say no?
I'd like to agree with this last opinion, but is it realistic? Did the men who thought this purely women's business have a point?
Give us your thoughts guys. But beware: the women will be watching and may have thoughts on your thoughts.
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Comment by Morgan Bell
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ive seen quite a few men with vagina or uterus envy!
at least theres a bit less stigma around stay-at-home-dads and house-husbands nowadays, you can get your fill of nuturing and doting and nesting even if you dont get the thrill of a delivery!
Comment by Anonymous
No.
Your hypothetical situation makes me laugh.
As everyone knows, children are a burden to our society and it's people.
Why anyone who is biologically safe from the terrors of the "children" disease, would want to suffer through it - I don't know.
Next topic: "If you could suffer with cancer for 12 months but not die - would you?"
Comment by Chris Champion
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True, but it's funny how the question makes a man's head spin. I've asked it a few times at dinner parties and the men usually look puzzled at first, then look increasingly furrowed of brow as they wrestle with the implications. For a lot of men, it becomes a fascinating, even disturbing psychological exercise. I mean, what if you say yes and the Pregnant Fairy arrives and holds you to it! And watching all that dawn is hilarious for everyone else
Regards,
Chris
Comment by Norm
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Comment by Chris Champion
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I'd like to join you on the fence but I've got to umpire this game. Morgan looks good for the Brownlow votes. You want to be in the cheer squad?
C
Comment by Damo
By being able to become pregnant you are in fact female.
Comment by Chris Champion
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Comment by RubySoho
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i'm just sad it won't happen in my child-bearing years. how awesome to be able to look at your boyfriend and say, "this year looks really busy for me. if you have this one, i swear, i'll have the next".
of course, when men have the ability to become pregnant, abortion will suddenly be one of the most accepted medical procedures in the world. mark my words.
Comment by Chris Champion
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Now there's a truth.
Comment by Damo
For example:
You see two people drowning.
One is a world famous scientists and the other a disabled adult. Who do you save first?
The question is loaded to give a predisposed answer.
Your question does have similar predispositions.
Answer no and be damned by a thousand angry fembots.
Answer yes and be rewarded with praise or accusations of hypocrisy by the same fembots.
Note how there is no correct answer to please anyone.
I can twist your question around in several ways to make it produce my predetermined inference but to what end?
If I have an opinion. I will state it. Support it with evidence and let other accept or reject it.
I can create any number of hypothetical questions but they would be just as moot.
Example: If you could be a black African living in apartheid South Africa would you?
Answer yes and be hailed a hero or liar.
Answer no and be called a bigot.
Comment by Chris Champion
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Comment by RubySoho
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Comment by Norm
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Comment by Norm
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Comment by Ruth Moratz
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Comment by RubySoho
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Hey, reckon, I'm gonna have a thousand angry fembots come running after me for that comment?
Comment by Carmen
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i think i agree - men who say they would -- know they'll never actually be held to it... and men who say they wouldn't -- have usually witnessed the 9 months of joy first hand and can't be blamed for not wanting to sign up for it. i know lots of women who've been through it once and don't want a bar of it again.
Comment by Chris Champion
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I wonder if that figure is a bit pessimistic. I hope so.
Hand over heart, I think I would accept. I think in the end it would be a question for me not of whether or why I would say yes, but whether I could say no. If that makes sense. It's getting to experience something which is essential in the most fundamental, core-of-existence, universal-truth kind of way. How could I turn down something so important?
Of course that's all moot - I'm past child-bearing age
Regards,
Chris
Comment by Ruth Moratz
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Maybe your right. Possibly 1% might go for it. Of the men I've met in my life, I couldn't see a single one of them doing it. Not because they wouldn't want to experience it but because I just don't think they could handle it.
After a week or two of morning sickness I think it would end right there for quite a few men. Plus I believe it's been proven that men just have a lower threshold for pain. Men do compete in some rough sports, but getting punched in a boxing ring is one thing, 24 hours of continous labor is quite another.
Comment by Damo
So I am just going to wish you well with your agenda and move on.
Comment by Chris Champion
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Now you've scared me. I didn't know about incontinence. I'm going on the pill.
Comment by Chris Champion
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men who say they would -- know they'll never actually be held to it...
Of course, but it's still an interesting philosophical exercise, don't you think? Or maybe physiological exercise if discussing it with Ruby. Or maybe psychedelic exercise if discussing it with Norm
Regards,
Chris
Comment by Ruth Moratz
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Not true....think seahorses.
Comment by RubySoho
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You wanna know something really scary? Some women have to get cut open between the anus and the vagina during childbirth. Or sometimes it just splits on its own. Yeah. Now if that don't make you swear to a life of chastity, i don't know what will.
Luckily, childbirth is our punishment for being wicked, wicked women so in any case we deserve it.
Comment by Chris Champion
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Comment by Ruth Moratz
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That last one really sucks when they do that and you aren't pregnant.
Comment by Chris Champion
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Comment by RubySoho
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Hahaha. Isn't it funny how a pregnant woman suddenly becomes public property? You wouldn't go up to a complete stranger, rub her ample backside and say "so is that a Golden Gaytime or a Streets Magnum?'
But because, her body shape happens to be the result of having a fetus and not one ice cream too many, then she is fair game to be gawked at, rubbed, patted, prodded and poked.
Chris, you knew about THAT and still you think you would sign up having a baby yourself. Yowsers. I only know about it because it just happened to a friend of mine. And she is now all, never again and ruby, don't ever have a baby.
Of course, people told her she was selfish before because she didn't have any children. Now they are telling her she is selfish by only having one. Never ends.
Comment by Morgan Bell
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this is not exactly correct, a female is defined by her ability to produce ova (eggs) not her ability to have the fertilized egg gestate inside her
take a look at seahorses, the female deposits eggs into the male where they are fertilized by his sperm and he is the one to carry the pregnancy
many humans identify as female who lack the ability to carry a child inside them, including the elderly, women who have had hysterectomies or have deformed wombs due to birth defects, illness or injury
Comment by Jason King
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And Damo - for the swimming hypothetical I would toss a coin to choose or throw them a rope - 2 people can grab the same piece of rope.
Morgan- I used to breed seahorses - maybe I will reconsider - they used to sway in the water and be so bloated they looked like they would explode and then 20 of the little guys would pop out and this was when we had to separate them so mumma and puppa did not mistake them for brine.
OK - if I am to give birth as a male I must be human!! LOL
I do love a cool hypothetical.
Comment by Michaelie
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I know I often wonder myself what it would be like to have all my bits on the outside and at the ready. But that's another story altogether...
Michaelie
Comment by Anonymous
If it were possible, we wouldn't need women. And I love women!
Comment by Chris Champion
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Hi Michaelie, thank you. As for your fascination with having all your bits on the outside, I think that's what Norm does when he writes
Comment by Jason King
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Not that there is anything wrong with them ladies!
Comment by Norm
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Comment by RubySoho
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Shocker I know, who'd have thunk it? Women doing stuff besides having babies....whoa Nelly, crazy times hey?
Comment by Lilla
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..um.. sorry to appear ignorant on this issue, but how is the delivery of this miracle percieved, hyperthetically of course?
Isn't there enough people on the planet already?
You know : not to wax too lyrical myself, but this question does seem to me to wreak of an imbalance in chemicals in the diet, altogether (not yours) but the reporter / persons who first asked it seriously.
Lilla ...
Comment by Chris Champion
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I think you're saying that you feel the question is pointless. Fair enough, we all have different takes on things. Just scroll up for a Damonstration of that.
For me, it's an interesting question because I think the answers provided to it by men say a lot about those men. I'm by no means saying that there is a right or wrong answer, and I'm not claiming it's particularly objective. I just find it intriguing and revealing.
Regards,
Chris
Comment by Morgan Bell
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in the movie Junior where Arnie was impregated, the baby gestated amongst his abdominal muscles and then was surgically removed (like a C-section) when it was full term, so there was no pushing it out through the penis or anything! haha
Comment by Lilla
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Okay Chris,
I get your point, so I'll reword my response to clarify it ...
I think that the affluent world is sick, sick on its own wealth to be able to spend time which could be spent in their community. reporters that could report on how a community saved many animals, people, children ... some feel good stuff about humanity ... not the obsessive reoccurance of sex, sex, sex and what ifs.
Its as if I can hear people saying; we have perverted the course of nature so much with our grandious science and POWERS OF THE UNIVERSE, lets just see if we can really twist things up a little more.
What would really choke me and make me spit woudl be if real money (gleened from the bounty of the amazon due to corn planting and forest clearing [or some such atrocity]) was going into actual research for this nonsense (thanks E for the correction on that one), to see if it could be made possible, whilst inner city slums around the affluent world try to cope with the stench of our own affluent seepage.
Oh PLeeeeaaze ...
Sure its probably possible, they cloned a sheep for Gods sake, why not use a cavitiy within the males body as a surrogate prooving oven for a foetus?
I just think itll rob you men of so much, imagine you used to have harems of women becuase they often died in childbirth, and it was required ... now wouldnt that be better than trying to have your own children?
I think youve got it backwards and now I have incurred ALL the wrath of every orble feminist that ever was with that comment *chuckle* such is life ...
I must admit though, it was a better headline than reading about disaster or the American elections (ad nuseum), not that I am not nervous about the trend setters of the world preparing to do a lemming run?
oh its all too funny ...
Lilla ...
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Comment by Chris Champion
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Thanks for commenting,
Chris
Comment by Anonymous