Recently it has been brought to my attention by the Seoul Times that there exists the possibility that, brace yourselves, the Chinese are eating aborted fetuses for health. Enjoy that link by the way, it contains fetus carnage.
To be a logical person at all, one of the first reactions that you should have felt upon hearing and seeing this is, well, doubt. Skepticism is vital to finding the truth. But, is there really enough disproof of this to assume that it is false? Well, one foul mouthed and very rude "journalist of 30 years" certainly thinks that the "truth is out there" and that he has single-handedly debunked this "myth" by straining really hard to disbelieve.
I tend to take a more rational approach in my methods, holding this "baby soup" phenomenon in the space between belief and disbelief. Being open to rationality, I will list a few things that can be used as evidence both for and against the possibility of this being true.
Evidence:
- Chinese Traditional Medicine (alternative medicine), approves, condones and encourages the consumption of foods such as bats, tiger penises, and other obscure foods and herbs ... often regardless of the legality or ethical considerations of consumption of that food (such as the fact that tigers are endangered).
- Humans have a long history of cannibalism, both in times of need and ritualistic cannibalism. Since we know this, and that traditional medicine exists, the concept of eating babies for health concerns is suddenly plausible.
- Photographic evidence of the reported evidence exists.
- No concrete disproof of Zhu Yu's art exhibit "Eating People" ... despite many sites claiming it as fake.
Counter-Evidence:
- It is claimed to be a type of "Blood Libel". Though in the past, certainly depictions of people's enemies have been drawn up to include the eating of babies, this does not guarantee that ALL depictions of anyone eating a baby are false or libelous.
- Photographs can be highly edited by software such as Photoshop in ways that can render falsehoods true, or hide the truth. This is evidenced in many cases all over the web, and, certainly could be involved in the photos linked above.
- Several websites have claimed that Zhu Yu's exhibit, as well as the new Seoul Times "baby soup" article are hoaxes, and, since people have been known to create hoaxes, this must be considered a possibility.
So, are there certain regions of China where if you know the right people you can buy a fetus and cook it up in order to help your virile health? I don't know.
But here's the kicker... let's presume that it's true. Is it really that bad to eat an already aborted fetus? Obviously if you cause demand for the fetus by consuming it, then yes, you cross an ethical line, but, presuming that there's no fetus feeding frenzy, what's the harm in eating dead babies? Though shock and disbelief about this are registered in China, Korea, and the United States, perhaps people with a strong belief in "traditional" medicine are being helped by the placebo effect caused by the consumption of fetus and placenta flesh.
So, since no life, human or animal, is lost, what's the harm, besides someone eating something that likely smells like a dead fish in a rotten horse vagina... by choice?
I see no real harm in it, unless a doctor somewhere can prove that it causes sickness or bad health... even if it has NO positive benefit whatsoever... if that's what people want to do, why not?
Lunchtime!