Pete Buttigieg is having a baby. The Transportation Secretary announced his exciting news last Tuesday through Twitter. “For some time, Chasten and I have wanted to grow our family,” Buttigieg began. “We’re overjoyed to share that we’ve become parents! The process isn’t done yet and we’re thankful for the love, support, and respect for our privacy that has been offered to us.” The announcement raises a few questions. How did “the process” overcome the biological hurdle that two men encounter when they wish to conceive? Why does Buttigieg, who denies the humanity of unborn babies up until the moment of birth, consider himself a parent when the “process” of gestation isn’t yet done? And what possessed Pete to believe that he would best protect his privacy by tweeting the news to his three-and-a-half million followers?
The announcement went viral, garnering congratulations from senators, governors, mayors, labor unions, the White House, journalists, and entertainers, among others — most liberal but some self-styled conservatives as well. And yet, amid the frenzy to affirm the goodness of Buttigieg’s fatherhood, some stubborn bioethical questions linger.
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