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Friday afternoon, a student alerted a teacher about her discovery of a human fetus in a bathroom stall. Police then arrived and carried the tiny body out in a large duffelbag. The student's let-out time was delayed and parents were obviously shaken up. The age of the fetus is unknown and the circumstances of death are not yet determined.
I personally think that this particular event is very disheartening and extremely crazy, especially since several of us have friends, family, acquaintances, etc. who attend Woodrow Wilson High School, but then again, notice how a lot of articles use the tag "child abuse" or something related to the topic of abuse. I believe this was not a case of abuse but rather a case about a teenage girl with no direction or support. Maybe this girl had a miscarriage not even knowing she was pregnant and dismissed it as a part of her regular menstrual cycle. (Why not flush though?) Maybe she knew she was pregnant and suffered a miscarriage but was too afraid of being judged by fellow peers, authorities, or her parents, which caused her to walk away from the bloody and gruesome scene. Something that hasn't crossed anyone's mind because they've been so focused on the students is, what if it was actually a teacher? There haven't been any updates, but all I can say is that I hope that the mother is left anonymous for her own safety.
I rode the bus from Booker T. to Woodrow after school on the day the fetus was found. Seeing all the camera crews and hearing multiple rumors (that weren't completely true) made my friend and I very worried. What I couldn't get out of my head was what this young (or possibly grown) woman could've been thinking when this happened. It's embarrassing enough for this to occur during school, but to have all the publicity and rumors everywhere must be awful for the person responsible. So when I got to Woodrow, I couldn't help but feel sorry for this unknown girl. I agree that she should be left anonymous.
ReplyDeleteIt's so sad that people have not given this situation the privacy it deserves. It's been slandered with so much hate and no one has stopped and asked how it has affected the woman involved.
ReplyDeleteMy sister had gone to Woodrow a couple years back and I know plenty of good souls at the school. Sadly, just like any other place, there are some who are scared, confused, and misunderstood. The possible mother of the fetus was probably horrified about the pregnancy to begin with and had no one to turn to who would support her. Just as we are all horrified as recipients of the news, this girl must be scared for life. Poor thing.
ReplyDeleteIt's upsetting that tragedies like these turn into chances for people to promote their own political agendas. Whether this is an example of child abuse or not, our first priority should be tracking down the girl (anonymously of course, and kept out of the media and word of mouth) and giving her the help she possibly needs and deserves at this point.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I agree with your views on the topic!
DeleteReading this definitely changed my perspective on this situation. Now looking back I realize I was looking at this situation close minded. I never considered it could be a teacher! Or even then think about why the girl or woman who did this would just leave the fetus in the toilet. Thinking now with an open mind, I definitely see why she did what she did, and how much more privacy this deserved.
ReplyDeleteThis article does have a certain appeal since it happened at a school that we all know and do probably have friends that attend Woodrow. I really enjoyed the fact that you stated different sides of your opinion as well as opening up some more questions to engage your readers.
ReplyDeleteYes, its a mystery as to who the mother is of the fetus, but does that mean that it has to be solved? Obviously there is someone who took a private and probably pressured choice that the media should not have anything to do with! This person should be left in peace without the constant reminder being played across the television and news.-Sophia Davison
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, Azra, and love the points you bring up. It's so sad to think that if it WERE a student that had the miscarriage, how overwhelmed and scared they must be. I also hope that the mother is left anonymous so that she isn't forced to live with rumors and titles for the rest of her high school and possibly even college life.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the girl really wanted to get an abortion because she knew she could not care for the baby, but she may have been shamed by pro-lifers in her school or in her family. It also might have been difficult to have access to a safe clinic, because Conservatives are making it hard for women to have access to reproductive services. What many pro-lifers fail to realize is that outlawing abortion won't stop it; rather, you are driving women to get unsafe abortions.
ReplyDeleteThe story is a piece in a much larger issue: teen pregnancy and abortion. It's an argument that is sort of a rubik's cube because it has so many sides and hard to completely solve. I hope the media/students are able to give the young mother the privacy and respect she deserves, seeing as this might have been a miscarriage.
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