State Fair Swag Includes Fetuses

[GeoBQn]

The North Dakota State Fair is facing complaints after a chapter of Right to Life handed out little squishy fetus toys to children without permission from their parents.

http://jezebel.com/worst-state-fair-eve ... -882405859

Pro-choice fairgoers called the state fair hotline to complain, and even parents who are "on the fence" about abortion are angry that RTL booth used the toys to bring up the topic of abortion to their children without warning.

"I don't know exactly where I stand on abortion," one mother told Jezebel, "but I believe in my rights as a parent."

"It was really disturbing watching children run around with them," one recalled.

Mendez says she's "in the middle" when it comes to abortion, but feels that her rights as a parent were compromised at the parade when her children were handed the fetuses along with informational pamphlets that included lines like "Week 1: conception; the baby is smaller than a grain of sugar, but the instructions are present for all that this person will ever become."

"My kids can read," she said. "I shouldn't have to explain to five and six-year olds what abortion is at a family event. I doubt these people would be allowed to hand out condoms to little kids. But it's okay to talk to them about abortion without my permission?"

I'm submitting an entry into my first state fair competition this Saturday. I went for the first time two years ago and it was fine, but last year there were articles about an anti-choice group parking Truth Trucks near the entrance. Why does every public event have to be hijacked by their fucking agenda?!?

[Mama Mia]

Off topic, but "grain of sugar" who refers to sugar that way??

Sorry, just struck me as very weird. Probably not as weird as handing mini toy fetuses to children though.

[lizziesmom]

WTH is wrong with the fair people? In my community we ban all political stuff from our annual event. I hope one of the parents sues the anti-abortion folks and the fair. That's probably the only way it will stop.

[ILoveJellybeans]

When I was a kid I collected these little goo filled eggs that had rubber alien fetuses in. These ones arent even cute ones, mine were way cuter and came in a bigger variety of colours. I dont know how they are meant to encourage kids to be pro life, I used to throw mine at the ceiling to make them stick, drive it around in a toy car, squish them, and my little brother pulled off the head of one of mine.

I think its wrong to add a pamphlet on fetal development and abortion and give it to kids without their parents permission. On its own, I guess most kids would think it was weird but cool (although then again, I was a weird child), but the agenda and message behind it? Awful. Why are they taking away the innocence of children like this, they dont need to know what an abortion is until theyre old enough to worry about accidental pregnancy. It brings up so many questions about sex that parents dont want to be asked yet.

[sparkles]

So basically, these fuckwits insist that if you become pregnant, you MUST become a parent no matter what, and then once you ARE a parent, they take a way your rights AS a parent to decide when and how to teach your children. My head is spinning.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

A friend of mine has one of those little flesh colored plastic baby fetuses, she uses it for a keychain. Made it herself, the screw to attach the chain/keyring part goes right into the fetus's butt for extra hilarity.

[AnywhereButHere]

So basically, these fuckwits insist that if you become pregnant, you MUST become a parent no matter what, and then once you ARE a parent, they take a way your rights AS a parent to decide when and how to teach your children. My head is spinning.

THAT exactly! These are probably some of the same people too, that are against public schools and the teaching of inclusion, tolerance, evolution and the like. But of course it's okey dokey if it's THEIR values being forced on everyone.

[Mela99]

I like the mother's comment that she has rights as a parent.

[KitCatCadillac]

I don't have kids, but I think I'd go nuclear. Semi-related: Every year a Baptist church has a huge float in the 4th of July parade. Every year they hand out pamphlets, which is against the rules. Every year my mom and aunt yell at them, and file complaints with the parade board. Every year nothing happens. It's practically tradition. This year I found out that when my mother's friend had a child die, this church, which she did not attend, sent her a letter saying that it was God's punishment for her not being saved. What in the sweet hell? I can't even now... I was mad before, now I'm livid.

[RosyDaisy]

I'm not a violent person, but if I were a mother and my child were given a plastic fetus toy, I would have thrown it in the face of the giver.

[paganhomeschooler]

Our local county fair has a booth every year that is an anti-choice group. They have little plastic displays of fetal development, uteruses (uteri?) and all. It's like, really? I have one. I don't need to see it at the freaking fair! If it's not deep fried or covered in sugar, it can go away. There is also always a booth from some church that has a little box you're supposed to look in to tell you how to guarantee your way to heaven, and if you guess correctly what's in the box, you win $1 million. Inside the box says something like you have to accept jesus christ as your lord and savior and be saved. The $1 million is a craptastic tract. I have to herd the kids by because the "win $1 million" thing sucks them in every time.

On the up side, I found out there is a local UU church because they also had a booth at the fair. lol

[bananacat]

If they gave out realistic model fetuses from around the time that 90% of abortions are done (before 14 weeks), they'd actually make more people pro-choice because they'd see that it's not just a tiny version of a pwecious wittle baby. Of course they'd have to scale it way up to make anything even noticeable in the first place.

[PennySycamore]

I don't have kids, but I think I'd go nuclear. Semi-related: Every year a Baptist church has a huge float in the 4th of July parade. Every year they hand out pamphlets, which is against the rules. Every year my mom and aunt yell at them, and file complaints with the parade board. Every year nothing happens. It's practically tradition. This year I found out that when my mother's friend had a child die, this church, which she did not attend, sent her a letter saying that it was God's punishment for her not being saved. What in the sweet hell? I can't even now... I was mad before, now I'm livid.

We had something like what happened to your mom's friend when our daughter died. We got a book in the mail "Why Your Baby is in Heaven" explaining that she had died so that maybe we would accept Christ. The book was unsigned and there was no return address. My husband and I were Catholics, but many of our neighbors were fundamentalist Baptist. Not a single one of our IFB neighbors came to either of Katherine's services. (One of them might have come, but she was playing the piano for VBS at the time of the funeral.) My husband threw the book in the trash where it belonged. That was probably the single most upsetting thing that happened when Katherine died. There was so much that was painful: planning the funeral, picking out her burial dress, and so on, but there was a purpose for it. This was someone just being an asshole.

[Arete]

Thank goodness our county fair barred political booths. I'm there to look at the animals and taste preserves.

[Stephanie66]

Every year they hand out pamphlets, which is against the rules. Every year my mom and aunt yell at them, and file complaints with the parade board. Every year nothing happens. It's practically tradition

I laughed out loud. This is me and one of the local Taco John's. They play the Christian radio station. I complain to corporate ONLY when the station gets TOO abortion and blood of Christ-y while I am trying to enjoy my taco with extra sauce. I have yet to get anything other than the "do not respond" email response. (If it plays music, I really don't notice. Why don't I stop going there? Damn, I love their tacos, and it's close...)

Anyway, on topic, our county fair pro-life people gave me a golden baby feet pin when I was a kid, but I had no idea what it was all about. Apparently, the feet represented the size and shape of the feet of a 12-week fetus. I thought they were cute and wore them on my jean jacket for awhile until I realized that made me "affiliated" with the pro-life movement. Back then, my dad was pretty involved in the local DFL, but you could also be Democratic and pro-life back then. He wasn't. The pin came off. Oh well.

(Funny, because my mom was, in fact, a pro-life Democrat for years. She votes pro-choice now, but I'm vague on all of these details. She is more like me...not completely pro-choice, but not pro-life, either.)

[Sumeri]

Ah, North Dakota. Here in South Dakota they at least make the kids go to the pro life booth to collect their little fetus. Last year my daughter walked over, intrigued by the display of dolls in different stages of development, then drew back, horrified, when they tried to hand her one of those creepy rubber fetuses.

I'm actually delighted that they did this, it makes them look even creepier and out of touch than your average North Dakotan realized. Maybe now the people who haven't been paying attention because it's "not their problem" will start to look at who is trying to take over their state.

[Mela99]

I'm not a violent person, but if I were a mother and my child were given a plastic fetus toy, I would have thrown it in the face of the giver.

I'd have had a royal shit fit. They claim to want to protect children but have no problem bringing a confused four year old into the equation.

[Nothing2CHere]

THAT exactly! These are probably some of the same people too, that are against public schools and the teaching of inclusion, tolerance, evolution and the like. But of course it's okey dokey if it's THEIR values being forced on everyone.

Or sex ed. Don't you dare teach our children HOW babies are made in school, but we're going to put plastic uteri and fetuses on display at the county fair next to the dunk tank so your kids can't help but start asking about it!

[notsocommon]

I don't have kids, but I think I'd go nuclear. Semi-related: Every year a Baptist church has a huge float in the 4th of July parade. Every year they hand out pamphlets, which is against the rules. Every year my mom and aunt yell at them, and file complaints with the parade board. Every year nothing happens. It's practically tradition. This year I found out that when my mother's friend had a child die, this church, which she did not attend, sent her a letter saying that it was God's punishment for her not being saved. What in the sweet hell? I can't even now... I was mad before, now I'm livid.

What the ever loving hell? If if ever got a disgusting letter like that , I would go to the media, hope it was a slow news day and they ran with it.

Name and shame.

[becky4201]

Our local county fair has a booth every year that is an anti-choice group. They have little plastic displays of fetal development, uteruses (uteri?) and all. It's like, really? I have one. I don't need to see it at the freaking fair! If it's not deep fried or covered in sugar, it can go away. There is also always a booth from some church that has a little box you're supposed to look in to tell you how to guarantee your way to heaven, and if you guess correctly what's in the box, you win $1 million. Inside the box says something like you have to accept jesus christ as your lord and savior and be saved. The $1 million is a craptastic tract. I have to herd the kids by because the "win $1 million" thing sucks them in every time.

There's a group at our local county fair that does the exact same thing. Plastic fetus/uteri displays & the box to look in. They also had out the same tracts every year. I tend to avoid the building they're in.

[docmom]

We had something like what happened to your mom's friend when our daughter died. We got a book in the mail "Why Your Baby is in Heaven" explaining that she had died so that maybe we would accept Christ. The book was unsigned and there was no return address. My husband and I were Catholics, but many of our neighbors were fundamentalist Baptist. Not a single one of our IFB neighbors came to either of Katherine's services. (One of them might have come, but she was playing the piano for VBS at the time of the funeral.) My husband threw the book in the trash where it belonged. That was probably the single most upsetting thing that happened when Katherine died. There was so much that was painful: planning the funeral, picking out her burial dress, and so on, but there was a purpose for it. This was someone just being an asshole.

I'm so sorry this happend to you. Do these people not realize that this is EXACTLY the way to turn people off religion entirely?? I do not want to be affiated with a god who kills my child so I can love him.

[snusmumriken]

Ugh. I'm really glad there was never anything like this at my 4-H fair growing up. And I don't think I've seen any pro-life (or pro-choice for that matter) booths at the much larger county fair where I live now, either. It would be fun to get some of those adorable plush pathogens--STD versions--and hand out THOSE, along with condoms,near the fetus booth. You know, to teach kids about safe sex and how to avoid ending up with an unwanted creepy fetus doll. ;) Just about the same level of age-appropriateness.

[louisa05]

In our very red state, I always notice that people leave a wide space around the Right-to-Life table at the State Fair. They end up standing there begging like sales people for someone to pay attention. Same thing happens to the Democrats and the Republicans. They are all put in the building with all the tables for businesses and such, so it is easy to avoid.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Ugh. I'm really glad there was never anything like this at my 4-H fair growing up. And I don't think I've seen any pro-life (or pro-choice for that matter) booths at the much larger county fair where I live now, either. It would be fun to get some of those adorable plush pathogens--STD versions--and hand out THOSE, along with condoms,near the fetus booth. You know, to teach kids about safe sex and how to avoid ending up with an unwanted creepy fetus doll. ;) Just about the same level of age-appropriateness.

I have both herpes and chlamydia of those giant toy germs :D

[Anxious Girl]

Christians Theocratic Agenda Steps:

1.) Colonize other countries through European empires.

2.) Force native and slaves to convert and to speak the colonizers' languages.

3.) Use missionaries as bribers and martyrs to show how persecuted Christians are.

4.) Profit thru church donations and influence members to complain about government taxes when they donate to the church who use $ to cover up dirty deeds &/ sweep them under the rug so that the inner circle doesn't have a reason to talk about them.

5.) Use anti-choice and creationist proganda to brainwash young minds.

6.) Preach from the pulpit to donate to political organzations that have a Christian agenda to turn America into a Christian theocracy even though it's against the federal American Constitution which they pretend to worship.

7.) When 1 of their own gets into power, prepare for the rapture that will never come but make them rich by idiotic sheep preparing for it.

8.) Profit!11!!!!