A woman has become somewhat of an internet hero, after her Facebook rant went viral.
Emily Bingham, a writer from Michigan, took to the social media site to despair at intrusive questions about people’s reproductive plans.
Posting a random ultrasound photo she found on google to grab people’s attention, Emily penned a long and heartfelt post about fertility issues and social norms.
She wrote: “Now that I got your attention with this random ultrasound photo… this is just a friendly P.S.A. (public service announcement) that people’s reproductive and procreative plans and decisions are none of your business.
“You don’t know who is struggling with infertility or grieving a miscarriage or dealing with health issues.
“You don’t know who is having relationship problems or is under a lot of stress or the timing just isn’t right.”
In a comment underneath the post, Emily explained that the post was inspired by a friend who had struggled to conceive, only to be asked when baby number two would come one month after giving birth.
The post has been shared more than 30,000 times with commenters from all over the world expressing their agreement.
The full post reads:
Hey everyone!!! Now that I got your attention with this RANDOM ULTRASOUND PHOTO I grabbed from a Google image search, this is just a friendly P.S.A. that people’s reproductive and procreative plans and decisions are none of your business. NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. Before you ask the young married couple that has been together for seemingly forever when they are finally gonna start a family … before you ask the parents of an only-child toddler when a Little Brother or Little Sister will be in the works … before you ask a single 30-something if/when s/he plans on having children because, you know, clock’s ticking … just stop. Please stop. You don’t know who is struggling with infertility or grieving a miscarriage or dealing with health issues. You don’t know who is having relationship problems or is under a lot of stress or the timing just isn’t right. You don’t know who is on the fence about having kids or having more kids. You don’t know who has decided it’s not for them right now, or not for them ever. You don’t know how your seemingly innocent question might cause someone grief, pain, stress or frustration. Sure, for some people those questions may not cause any fraught feelings — but I can tell you, from my own experiences and hearing about many friends’ experiences — it more than likely does.
Bottom line: Whether you are a wanna-be grandparent or a well-intentioned friend or family member or a nosy neighbor, it’s absolutely none of your business. Ask someone what they’re excited about right now. Ask them what the best part of their day was. If a person wants to let you in on something as personal as their plans to have or not have children, they will tell you. If you’re curious, just sit back and wait and let them do so by their own choosing, if and when they are ready.
Hat-Tip Daily Mail, images via Facebook.
