A so-called “sexuality expert” and author became the subject of much-deserved mockery this week when she suggested parents and guardians ask for their baby’s “consent” before a diaper change.
Deanna Carson appeared on an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News segment about “changing consent culture” when she was asked how young some of the children she works with are.
“We work with children from three years old, we work with parents from birth,” she said.
“From birth?” the host reasonably inquired.
Here’s where Carson turned up the insanity dial to 100: “Yeah, just about how to set up a culture of consent in their homes. So, ‘I’m going to change your nappy now, is that ok?'”
That’s right, she just suggested you ask your baby, from the day they are born, if you can change their diaper. Apparently, this “sexuality expert” is not an expert in human cogitation.
But a newborn can’t respond, right? Well, don’t fret, Carson has you covered. “Of course, the baby isn’t going to respond, ‘Yes mum that’s awesome, I’d love to have my nappy changed,'” she explained. “But if you leave a space [she pauses] and wait for body language and wait to make eye contact then you’re letting that child know that their response matters.”
Um, what?
Since a baby can’t understand, let alone verbalize a “yes” or a “no,” there are two likely options to happen: the baby is in a crying fit because they have a dirty diaper or they are silent. What shall we do then, Ms. Carson? Leave the baby in a soiled diaper if they are crying, because they are clearly not “giving consent”? And if they are silent? Only “yes means yes,” I was told by your kind.
The roundly-mocked “expert” must have felt the sting of the push-back and took to Facebook to defend her nonsense position.
“I gave an interview the other day about teaching consent to young children,” she wrote in the post. “Sadly, some people have chosen to ridicule me (oh no! Pink hair! Must be a lesbian!) and the notion of giving infants bodily autonomy (poo in nappies har har amiright?!). For those people I’m posting this.”
“One in three girls, one in seven boys will be sexually assaulted by the time they are eighteen years old. One in twelve girls will be sexually abused before their sixth birthday,” she continued, adding, “Troll me all you want, add to your blog inches, but remember that when you do, you are negating the voices of these brave survivors of sexual abuse.”
No, this is not about sexual abuse; this is about you telling parents to ask their newborn baby if they “consent” to a diaper change.
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