Couple Threatens to Abort Baby Unless They Can Raise $50,000 Through Their Website

The internet site Helpmybabylive.com has steadily been gaining attention on message boards throughout the online community since it launched on June 19, 2007. Essentially, the site tells the story of a couple that has chosen to remain anonymous who are threatening to abort their child unless they can raise $50,000 within 90 days.

Based on the narrative provided on the site, the couple has decided that they need $50,000 so that they can provide a "good environment" for the baby. This would include a down payment on a "decent house" as well as a car, money for medical expenses, money for the child's college fund, and money so they can have a "little buffer." They claim that all of these things are needed to raise a "healthy, well balanced child." The couple has established a 90 day timeline so that they would still have time to legally have an abortion in the state that they live in.

The couple reports that they considered adoption as an option, but the woman does not believe she would be able to give up the baby after giving birth to it. The couple claims that they do not want to have an abortion, but they fear that they will subconsciously resent the child if they do not have the means to provide the standard of living that they believe is needed. Other than finances, they do not have any other concerns about their ability to be parents and state that they know that they are capable of introducing a "new productive member of humanity to the world."

The couple reports that they have chosen to remain anonymous because if they choose to carry the baby to term, they do not want the child to know that his or her life was contingent upon their fundraising efforts. Based on the terms and conditions provided on the site, individuals who choose to donate do so with no expectation of anything (including information about the choice that they have made and the identity of the couple) in return. The couple claims that if they choose to have an abortion after 90 days, all donations that were provided will be given to a "national, recognized, legit charity....probably a pro-life group." There is a ticker on the site that tracks the progress of the donations and they have already raised $7,100.

The site includes a link to the "hate mail" that they have received ranging from pro lifers to people encouraging them to get a job and take responsibility for their actions. There are also a few single parents who have shared their experiences.

Members of many online communities are speculating whether the entire thing is a hoax. The site is also being compared to Savetoby.com, a site that was created in April 2005 by two college students who threatened to eat their pet rabbit unless they were able to raise $50,000. Toby was saved although the terms of the deal were undisclosed and Bored.com currently runs the Savetoby.com site.