Plenty of sites writing about it the past few days - a big Pakistani TV show (that airs seven hours a day), in concept somewhat similar to "the price is right", but based on Koran-knowledge, is giving away, amongst other prizes such as TVs, cars and microwave ovens, babies.
Now, the "obvious" and "easy" reaction is disbelief and the idea that it's scandalous, and wrong, and what have you - it's clearly demeaning and devaluing of the human life, right? It'll be easy for the right to make yet another propaganda point out of it - "see how little these people care about life! About children! Think of the children!".
Now, mind you, I do think this idea merits at the very least a decent "WTF?!". I'm not, however, convinced it's a necessarily evil thing.
In short, there's plenty of orphans living on the streets and being abandoned in Pakistan, most of whom don't make it to adulthood and/or end up in drugs, prostitution, slavery, or terrorism. The parents who had/have a chance of winning a baby were all screened in advance by an adoption agency (though adoption is technically impossible in Pakistan). These children will, more than likely, have a much better future because of this than they'd have had living on the street.
So....Scandalous child abuse, "a new low" in ethics, a weird-but-okay way of improving children's lots?
Some random links so each can read about it in the tone of voice they prefer:
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/29/world/asia/pakistan-baby-giveaway/?hpt=hp_c1
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...in-battle-to-win-ramadan-ratings-8732227.html
http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcom...nds-out-babies-in-ramadan-ratings-battle.html
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/...-gives-away-babies-on-primetime-ramadan-show/
Now, the "obvious" and "easy" reaction is disbelief and the idea that it's scandalous, and wrong, and what have you - it's clearly demeaning and devaluing of the human life, right? It'll be easy for the right to make yet another propaganda point out of it - "see how little these people care about life! About children! Think of the children!".
Now, mind you, I do think this idea merits at the very least a decent "WTF?!". I'm not, however, convinced it's a necessarily evil thing.
In short, there's plenty of orphans living on the streets and being abandoned in Pakistan, most of whom don't make it to adulthood and/or end up in drugs, prostitution, slavery, or terrorism. The parents who had/have a chance of winning a baby were all screened in advance by an adoption agency (though adoption is technically impossible in Pakistan). These children will, more than likely, have a much better future because of this than they'd have had living on the street.
So....Scandalous child abuse, "a new low" in ethics, a weird-but-okay way of improving children's lots?
Some random links so each can read about it in the tone of voice they prefer:
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/29/world/asia/pakistan-baby-giveaway/?hpt=hp_c1
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...in-battle-to-win-ramadan-ratings-8732227.html
http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcom...nds-out-babies-in-ramadan-ratings-battle.html
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/...-gives-away-babies-on-primetime-ramadan-show/