This week, satirical news publication The Onion published a story that, shockingly, did not appear to be satire. “Zika Virus Joins Lack Of Paid Leave, Unaffordable Child Care As Reasons Woman Afraid Of Getting Pregnant,” the story’s headline declared. Shannon Kemp (a person who was allegedly faked to serve satirical news purposes) explained, “I was going to hold off getting pregnant for a few years anyway out of fear that my company might let me go when they find out, but this whole Zika scare certainly doesn’t help things either.” Sounds really fake. Uh-huh.
According to The Onion, a fake news publication, the Zika virus has now added to the “litany of reasons behind her dread of becoming pregnant, including the likelihood of being passed over for promotions, the lower salaries received by mothers, the rising cost of prenatal care, the rising cost of postnatal care, the increased difficulty in being hired should she want or need to switch jobs, and the social stigma associated with breastfeeding in public.”
We demand a retraction. This is not satire.
