Last week Facebook introduced an exciting new feature – expecting parents can add an unborn baby they are expecting to their family connections on Facebook!
They can also add a photo, name, and due date for their not-yet-born child.
Even more exciting was the reason why Facebook added this feature – because parents were already trying to figure out some way to share this type of good news with their friends in an official way.
In other words, this wasn’t a political move by Facebook (though some will try to interpret it that way) — it was rather responding to something their users wants to see added as a feature.
I especially like that both mothers and fathers can add this feature to their page. After all, every unborn child has a mother and father.
Here’s how a spokesperson for Facebook described the change:
“Facebook [has] started providing the option to add an ‘Expected: Child’ as a way for users to more accurately express their identity.”
Actually, I would argue that this change more accurately reflects the identity not only of the parents, but also of the unborn child. Why do parents “expect” a child when they find out they are pregnant? Because they already have a child!
Jamie Frevele at The Mary Sue blog decided to be flippant about the news when she heard it:
Oh, yes: Now you, too, can announce the goings-on of your uterus or the uterus you love by adding “Expecting: Child” to your list of family members and friends. (Unless you are expecting an alien, dinosaur, or mythical fairy zygote. Those are not currently options.) And now, in addition to all those wonderful, darling fetus updates, there is an official recognition on Facebook for feti!
The problem is, Jamie, human mothers and fathers only conceive and expect human babies.
Funny how that works out, isn’t it?
(By the way, I wonder why Planned Parenthood, which loves to be “tech-savvy”, hasn’t welcomed Facebook’s new feature yet?? Considering they use the name “Parenthood” you’d think they’d want to celebrate people who are proud to be parents!)
If you know someone who is expecting and who might be excited about adding this feature to their Facebook page, here’s how to do it:
1. Click “Edit Profile” on your user profile page
2. Choose the “Family & Friends” tab and select “Add another family member”
3. From drop-down menu click on “Expected: Child”
4. Enter a due date and a chosen name for the unborn baby (or pick a nickname if a name hasn’t been chosen yet)
Voila!
What do you think of Facebook adding this new feature? Do you consider Facebook pro-life?
