bears, bricks & unwanted babies

A long time ago, a friend came to me to borrow some money. He said his girlfriend (who had been pregnant for only a month) had a miscarriage, and he was going to bring her to a hospital for a 'D and C' procedure. (In layman's terms, that meant a surgical clean-up of the uterus). I felt obliged to help him because he was a friend. And because his girl's condition could very well lead to a fatal infection.

It did cross my mind, however, that he was lying to me and was actually going to use the money for an abortion. Perhaps they were both scared shitless that their parents would find out she was pregnant.

Imagine my dilemma at the time: by lending him the money, would I be helping his girlfriend get immediate medical attention or would I be financing a pro-choice decision? In short, would I be saving a life or ending another?

Looking back, the song 'Brick' by Ben Folds Five (left) came to mind. It was an autobiographical song about how Folds and his girl had their unborn child aborted. In the end, they were left with an emptiness that even their love for one another couldn't fill. (Watch the YouTube video here.) The chorus went, 'She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly' over and over. How horrible it must have been – to be unable to swim back to the surface and gasp for air after a tragedy like that.

Did I lend my friend the money? Yes, I gave him the benefit of the doubt.

The BWWT 5 Brick Bearbrick is by Kam Tang (right), a London-based graphic designer and illustrator who has worked for many editorial publications such as The Guardian, Wired, Arena, and Wallpaper. He was also involved in advertising campaigns for Adidas, Nike and Sony. Recently, Tam's designs were applied to the commercial spaces of Quick restaurants (France), Burberry (Milan) and London's Design Museum.

(Ben Folds pic by Erin Russell at soundaffects.net / Info & Kam Tang pic from www.getitlouder.com)