When the Etan Patz missing child case reopened and then finally closed, parents are talking again about how to protect our kids from abductions. Today on The View, Whoopi Goldberg brought up a radical idea: Implanting tracking devices directly into our kids' bodies.
"Is it creepy of me to say, is it time we start thinking about using those tracking things for kids?" She points out that it's something pet owners implant into their animals, so ... Joy agreed because "mothers and fathers need some peace of mind." And even Elisabeth seemed to think it might be a good idea. "If we take this good of care of our animals," Whoopi said, "couldn't we take this good care of our children?"
Yeah, so, did anyone else find this conversation completely insane?
Where do I get started here? I mean, we're really comparing the care you'd give your dog versus the care you'd give your kid? Apples, meet oranges. For starters, my kid can talk and yell. And if he runs off, I can catch him (unlike a dog). No, you know what? It's silly to even go there.
Lindsay over at Mommyish thinks implanting a tracking microchip into your child would be a violation of her privacy and rights. Plus, what if parents start using those devices to track their kids' behavior, not just their whereabouts? Sounds like that would erode any mutual trust in your family pretty darn quick.
Look, I know the Etan Patz story makes us all feel a little paranoid. Especially if you send your child to daycare or use sitters, you know you're not 100 percent in full control of your child's safety at all times. It's scary.
When we were on that Disney Cruise last month, they had us place a tracking bracelet on our son's wrist and keep it on through the full duration of the trip. The ship provides drop-in childcare so your child isn't always with you at all times. But it's not a GPS tracking device. If our son had turned up somewhere lost, they would have scanned his bracelet to find our contact info. And by the way, that's how a dog's tracking chip works, too. You don't get a little beeping dot on the map like in the movies.
P.S. Your child's kidnapper is not going to scan your child's microchip to find your contact information so you and the police can come find him.
I just don't think implanting a microchip under your kid's skin is the answer. We're more competent than that as parents, aren't we? Not to mention -- the very idea is so creepy.
What do you think about the idea of microchip implants for kids?
Image via Anya1986/Flickr
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Comments 27
We could also cut down on child abductions by dropping kidnappers and child molesters dead on the spot...but thats even less likely to happen.
I really think it depends. Is the procedure safe? What are the medical risks? How is the device going to be used? Personally, if this ever became a safe, legal procedure, I'd at least weigh the pros/cons and consider it. Then, if I DID get it, I would NEVER use it as a privacy violition, and ONLY in "emergency" cases where I was genuinally worried about my child's safety. I can definitely see the problems of a potential "Big Brother" surveillance society, and it's a slippery slope that should not be abused. But there's no doubt that it could also save lives too, so it's definitely something we as a society should consider carefully and explore, not accept or dismiss outright (in my opinion).
I think its a huge violation of privacy. I mean, I understand the "point" here but what people don't get is that if someone REALLY wants to take a child, they will find the device and cut it out. You also have to ask the questions about who will have access to that information? How will it be used? etc. What happens when a woman flees an abusive marriage with her kids and her husband uses that info to find her and the kids? I'm sorry but this is NOT something I would ever advocate doing to humans.
Forget microchip, GPS track them