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In May 2018 tweets and blog posts about a then-recent television appearance by sexuality educator Deanne Carson went viral on social media, and users railed against her purported advice that parents ask babies for consent before changing their diapers (or nappies): Some readers took the inference further, suggesting the idea that nonverbal infants might consent at all was dangerous: Those weighing in on the controversy often included links to articles about Carson's television appearance, and while some of the articles included video clips, most provided an often out of context interpretation of Carson's remarks. Carson was frequently described as a sexuality expert (in quotes), although her social media accounts used the word educator. Overall, most takes suggested that her advice was that parents necessarily should obtain consent to change a diaper: Similarly, a headline from The Mirror blared: As typically presented, the statements seemed bizarre, as most diaper-wearing infants are nonverbal and thus likely unable to comprehend the question. However, watching the brief segment in its original context painted a slightly different picture: https://youtu.be/FMgdfYqQBIw When an off-screen interviewer asked about lessons about consent and bodily autonomy from birth, Carson responded: Although that detail may seem pedantic, misinterpretations of those remarks were likewise obtuse. Watching the full clip clearly showed that Carson herself did not believe that the proposed interaction involved meaningful consent from an infant to change their diaper, nor was she suggesting babies who did not consent should be allowed to sit in dirty diapers indefinitely. What Carson proposed was teaching a child that their response matters, not allowing children to remain soiled because they refused to consent to a diaper change.
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