Wednesday, July 11, 2007

bears, bricks & unwanted babies

A long time ago, a friend came to me to borrow some money. He said his girlfriend (who had been pregnant for only a month) had a miscarriage, and he was going to bring her to a hospital for a 'D and C' procedure. (In layman's terms, that meant a surgical clean-up of the uterus). I felt obliged to help him because he was a friend. And because his girl's condition could very well lead to a fatal infection.

It did cross my mind, however, that he was lying to me and was actually going to use the money for an abortion. Perhaps they were both scared shitless that their parents would find out she was pregnant.

Imagine my dilemma at the time: by lending him the money, would I be helping his girlfriend get immediate medical attention or would I be financing a pro-choice decision? In short, would I be saving a life or ending another?

Looking back, the song 'Brick' by Ben Folds Five (left) came to mind. It was an autobiographical song about how Folds and his girl had their unborn child aborted. In the end, they were left with an emptiness that even their love for one another couldn't fill. (Watch the YouTube video here.) The chorus went, 'She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly' over and over. How horrible it must have been – to be unable to swim back to the surface and gasp for air after a tragedy like that.

Did I lend my friend the money? Yes, I gave him the benefit of the doubt.

The BWWT 5 Brick Bearbrick is by Kam Tang (right), a London-based graphic designer and illustrator who has worked for many editorial publications such as The Guardian, Wired, Arena, and Wallpaper. He was also involved in advertising campaigns for Adidas, Nike and Sony. Recently, Tam's designs were applied to the commercial spaces of Quick restaurants (France), Burberry (Milan) and London's Design Museum.

(Ben Folds pic by Erin Russell at / Info & Kam Tang pic from


Anonymous said...

A tough choice? Are you totally against abortion? even in the first trimester or w/e. The reason why I asked is if you were not you can just ask to see how she was doing and see that if she was planning an abortion, how well developed the fetus/kid was. But I'd suppose if you were you would have did that already.

Are you planning to ask them? w Or just let time tell. said...

I don't think I have a right to judge people who are pro choice. But if I were to make a choice myself, it would be pro life.

About my friend: I decided back then to trust him completely. That was why I did not make it a point to further investigate her condition. Besides, there was no time and decisions had to be made.

Thereyoucome said...

hello, I love you site, love all of those stand in the side bar:) cute, cute said...

Thanks, Thereyoucome, I especially like the Missoni, Moschino and Coach Bearbricks among those in the sidebar. I hope you come and visit again... :-)

Unknown said...

just a quick note- i absolutely love your blog- it's a total escape for me and takes me to another world.

thank you said...

Warrior, Thanks! :-)