It would appear that plastic baby dolls are now considered “inappropriate” materials for children.
A Virginia elementary school principal and teacher have been suspended after the teacher was “caught” handing out 4-inch, plastic, life-like, unborn baby dolls to her students:
Some parents were shocked to learn that their children had been given such life-like forms of a fetus, and Board of Education members are mystified as to why this would have been permitted.
“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 told the Virginian-Pilot.
Board member Kirk Houston Sr. called the doll “a pro-life tool.”
“To be quite honest, that is so incredible to me, that a staff member would do something so ... entirely inappropriate and unacceptable,” He said. All the board members “were all pretty dumbfounded.”
How about instead of calling it a frightening “pro-life tool” we call this little doll what it is? Reality. Truth. Information. Education. And (dare I say it?) just plain cute.
Seriously, I am baffled as to what people are afraid of with these tiny dolls.
You want to be afraid of dolls? How about you try being afraid of Bratz Dolls? That might make some kind of sense. I’m willing to bet, however, that many of the parents who are hyperventilating over the plastic baby dolls would not have the same reaction to Bratz dolls. Overtly sexual and immodest pre-teen girls dolls are all too commonly considered appropriate “sex education.”
We avoid Bratz dolls in our house, but I’m not afraid of my kids playing with realistic unborn baby dolls. I’m not afraid of babies. I’m not afraid of the truth. I’m just backwards like that.
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WELL SAID!!!!! We don’t do the whole bratz thing either.. my goodness!!
I think someone should market realistic pre-born baby animal figurines to confuse the wackos who simultaneously think that animals have the same rights as humans but think it’s a right to be able to choose to kill a helpless, voiceless human being.
Everyone who is pro-life should send their kids to school with these dolls.
While I completely agree with your sentiments about Bratz dolls and other modern immodest “bad message” toys out there; and while I am 100% Pro Life and supportive of all who uphold the dignity and sacredness of God’s gift in all of its stages…I have to say that I DO find it inappropriate for a teacher in an outside school system to hand out these figurines without parental permission. The reason I feel this way is because I adamantly support the Church’s stance on parents being the best, first, and foremost educators of their own children. Therefore, it is up to the parent to decide when/if/how the intimate details and/or graphic descriptions of NEW LIFE is presented to children. While I might agree with the well-intended motives of this instructor (which, I’m assuming was to promote awareness and support for pre-born babies) I do not feel that it was appropriate for this to be done without parental knowledge and permission. If the teacher had offered these gifts via a signed permission slip, then I’d be all for it…in other words, if a teacher can hand out these baby dolls, then what’s to stop another teacher who might feel just as strongly about condom-use, from handing those out as well? My own children have these tiny baby dolls…and I must say, that when I see one that’s been left accidentally laying out in the dirt in our backyard…or underneath a table…my heart skips a little beat…it seems to be disrespectful…because unborn life IS so sacred…I guess I don’t think that models of it should be treated like a “toy”. I support the making of these dolls and the proper use of them, with parental guidance and participation…but I don’t think they should be handed it without parental permission, leaving children to “miss the message” by making them out to be “just another toy or funny looking figurine”. Thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts here Danielle.
And I do support the underlying message of your post…which is “there are worse things in life out there to be afraid of than a small figurine which helps children understand and support the dignity and sacredness of pre-born life”...but I am just adamant about PARENTS having sole authority and right in deciding how and when that will be presented to their own children.
hOW DO YOU GET THEM?
@J. Grondelski, try fetal models here: http://ow.ly/1StiU
Judy,
My 2 1/2 year old now knows that there is a baby in momma’s tummy. He points to other babies and recognizes that another one is in his momma’s tummy. Any child that has younger siblings knows what is in momma’s tummy.
Yes, Kevin, I agree. I have ten children and their wisdom and knowledge of God’s gift of life is beautiful.
However, I stand by my point that it rests in the hearts of PARENTS to decide how and went to pass on that knowledge and awareness to their children.
God bless your family and most especially, the baby in “momma’s tummy”!
With over 50 million abortions in our country, I am sure these dolls are a trigger for many moms…perhaps it is not their children they are concerned about but the many emotions it brings up in them….
I agree with Danielle that there is nothing shocking about these dolls. I think the shock and outrage are overstated. Of course, these babies make a great point so it would be disturbing to many to see what is actually being aborted. Not so blob like are they?
I also agree with Judy that the teacher shouldn’t have handed them out at school unless it was part of a science lesson or family life. My children have been exposed to far worse in public school and I too stand by my rights to make decisions on when to teach them certain things. But I am not outraged by this at all. Just astounded by the hypocrisy of those who are.
I live in the area where this happened and I am unclear as to why they were handed out. There are other issues at the school and the principal is on leave as well for allowing this and for promoting Bible study and prayer among the faculty. There must have been a culture war going on in the faculty lounge. I think there may be more to the story.
Our area has a new, large Planned Parenthood facility opening any day now and this school has a large minority, lower income population. Any connection? Don’t know but it might be part of the context.
It was entirely inappropriate for a teacher to hand out those dolls.
Parents have the right to decide when their children will be exposed to human reproduction. I don’t find the fetus to be horrifying, or immediately change my mind about whether or not abortion should be a woman’s right. That doll looks like a fairly accurate depiction of a 4 month old fetus. Does that mean a woman should be forced to give birth to it, just because it looks human? Of course not.
People should mind their own business. If you’re so concerned about children dying, worry more about the children who are already ALIVE and starving to death or dying from disease in 3rd world countries.
The last comment said
“Our area has a new, large Planned Parenthood facility opening any day now and this school has a large minority, lower income population. Any connection? Don’t know but it might be part of the context.”
..... It might also be a correlation to population size. Planned Parenthoods tend to be built in more urban/populous areas, which makes sense. Why would they build a PP in farmland in the middle of nowhere?
To the poster who is listed above as “M”:
Perhaps they are not starving to death…but babies in the womb are every bit as much ALIVE as the children in those third world countries…and, sadly, in this nation…many of the unborn babies are in just as much or perhaps even more immediate danger of death.
Saving babies’ lives is everyone’s business…and it is our obligation as believers in Christ!
I guess it’s because I don’t consider a fetus to be a baby. Sperm are alive as well, and we all know how many millions “die” every minute.
To me it’s more important to maintain the health, safety, and wishes of a woman who IS already alive, than to fight for the continued existence of an unwanted FETUS.
And fetuses are not as alive as the children in third world countries, since fetuses
1) do not have the ability to survive outside the mother’s womb
2) do not have a developed central nervous system
3) do not have emotions and desires
4) do not have the ability to feel thirst and hunger.
I’d much rather help a LIVING CHILD than an unborn fetus.
I should add that I’m not a believer in Christ. I’m an educated scientist, and an athiest.
Given the facts of your last statement, I find myself wondering why you are visiting the National Catholic Register online; but it also explains a lot and I am no longer surprised by the comments shared in your post as I was when I first started reading them.
(Incidentally, as an educated scientist, you must then know that many “fetuses” are viable; and can, indeed survive outside the womb…though that is beside the point)
I pray that you will one day know the love and light of Jesus Christ in your life and that His Truth will lead you to see and turn away from the error of your ways. God bless you.
Dear M,
I have had the unfortunate, yet beautiful, experience of holding my deceased 14 week fetus in my hands. I can tell you that the value of these children in the womb is as great as mothers own life. I saw the perfect legs, beautiful fingers and wonderful facial features. I felt her kick, she had had a beating heart and science shows that she had a developed central nervous system. However, the scientific facts are not what is arguable at this time.
While the life of the living mother truly holds value, without love and encouragement, LIVING can be greatly weathered away. This is why a high percentage of women who have had abortions become suicidal.
My question becomes this, in this age of women’s rights and powers, why are we not helping women through unwanted pregnancies? If a woman were sitting by the side of a road, crying and distraught because her parents and boyfriend abandoned her because she wanted to become a doctor, then the world of women would rise up and do EVERYTHING to help her become a doctor. Yet, if she feels and inckling to become a mother for the child that has happened within, we ‘help’ by telling her that she cannot handle this, it’s wrong, it will ruin her life, etc.
There is something very platonic, methodical and well-plannned about abortion, yet truly LIVING involves overcoming problems and immersing in the fulfillment thereof. I think this is the what sets apart atheists and Christians.
Does anybody know where I can get one of these dolls? I need one in order to make a mold… so that I can make Jello Fetuses.
I find that the school would find a baby doll disturbing. They’ll teach kids about sex and pass out condoms to them, yet, a baby doll is inappropriate?
Public schools are filled with disturbing indiviuals that are teaching children really confusing and derranged information regarding life and what is and isn’t acceptable behavior.
..and another thing, are these same school officals that think these baby dolls are inappropriate the same ones that would think a “breast-feeding” doll is OK?
I just put a link to this article on my Facebook wall, and made the picture from the article my profile picture as a Mother’s Day greeting to my mother and all mother’s who have carried us into this world. http://Facebook.com/John.S.Wren
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