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There I was minding my own business, innocently scrolling through Facebook, in search of funny memes and cute babies, when I came across a horrendous news article detailing (thankfully not too detailing) the recent delivery of a baby to an un-expectant mother. That’s nothing new, you say. So what’s the shock factor in this story (in case you missed it), you may ask? Well, the woman who had the baby was in a vegetative state!
Here’s the original story.
A person in a vegetative state is awake but shows no signs of awareness. I’ve heard some people describe it as “the lights are on, but nobody’s home.” Perhaps not the most sympathetic definition, but accurate in the fact that a person in a vegetative state doesn’t show any meaningful responses, such as following an object with their eyes or responding to voices. They also show no signs of experiencing emotions nor of cognitive function (brainfoundation.org).
Yeah, so as you can imagine a person in this state can in no way consent to sexual intimacy. It was rape plain and simple.
I read that particular article not long after seeing another about a gentleman caught in a public bathroom bouncing a baby girl on his lap. Well, he wasn’t just bouncing her. Much like the unfortunate woman who was impregnated in a long-term care home, this toddler did not consent to her abuse either. Despicable!
So what does raping babies and women in vegetative states say about our society as a whole?
Not as much as our response to it.
I mean, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to describe what such atrocities say about the world. They say that evil exists, that it’s real, and it walks amongst us. These horrendous acts remind us to watch our children, be vigilant, and stay alert to those we allow close to us and our families. Sadly, they make it hard to trust strangers, and they force us to make decisions for our children that our parents may not have been compelled to make. It’s like helicopter moms appeared when kids started popping up on milk cartons. Coincidence? I don’t think so.