goodquestion

The subject of blocking posters has come up so often in this section recently that I think it's time to lay our cards on the table.

So, how many people have you blocked?

Me: none.

I'm wondering as I read so many accusatory questions and answers, if at least some of the differences in viewpoint might be due to people being at different stages of life. I know I would have answered the questions in this section very differently in my 20s or 30s.

So, what is your age range?

Are you beginning your adulthood (20s)?

Getting into the groove (30s)?

Hitting your stride and thinking about what comes next (40s)?

Starting to think about grandchildren (50s)?

Enjoying retirement and grandchildren (60s and above)?

Me? Late 40s: old enough, but not yet creaky.

I've seen some posters to Y!A openly trolling for babies, which sickens me on many levels. But I assumed that was the extent of the behavior. Recently, I was horrified to learn, in a private email from a young pregnant woman, that when she asked a question here that referenced her unexpected pregnancy, she received 12 private emails from strangers offering to take her baby without going through proper channels. She said she's heard from other women in the same situation that it's a common occurrence.

How widespread is this problem? Are pregnant women getting targeted for this sort of illegal and immoral behavior simply because they've posted questions and/or answers here?

At first, I assumed, as I'm sure most of us did, that the claim a young pregnant woman came here and was told to "kill herself" and thus became suicidal as a result was just wild ranting, but now that it's being referred to repeatedly in adoption questions that have no connection to this original claim, I think maybe we need to make sure it isn't true. Because if it is, that's a serious criminal issue that needs to be addressed.

Is that young woman still reading Y!A? Can she come forward and let us know what was said to her, and what help she needs to get back on track? There are suicide hotlines and free therapy options available almost anywhere. Having an unwanted pregnancy is difficult enough without being threatened and harassed by a stranger.