Unwinding is a term used in the trilogy Unwind. In this book, the second civil war is fought over reproductive rights. When no solution can be found, a suggestion came to be. They could deal with all of the excess, unwanted people by having them ‘unwound’. This means that the unwanted teen (age 13-18) would be sent to a facility where they would undergo a procedure in which they are ‘harvested’ or disassembled physically. All of their body parts are sent to people who need them to save their lives so they can remain whole. The justification for this is that all of the parts of the unwanted are still kept alive, but only in a divided state. The controversy comes in the question: What happens to the soul?

So, is unwinding truly plausible? Could a society dwindle so far that unwinding would be considered the least of all evils? Well, maybe there are already signs of our future heading this way today. What about all of the abortions? What about hair and plasma donations? What about child abuse and abandonment? What about organ donations? What about the decreasing sanctity of life? What really happens to the soul?

In the book, new mothers can ‘stork’ the child. This means that the mother can drop off the baby on a random doorstep and run away. If she gets caught, then she has to keep the baby. If not, the family is then responsible for the child. There are stories of abused and neglected stork children. So, would the baby be better off never born, or to live a life of abandonment and misery. Which is the less of the two evils?

What about organ donations? More and more people are signing up to be organ donors. This shows us that technology is ready and improving. Scientists, every day are finding new ways to complete organ transplants and better the surgeries that give people life that otherwise would have ended.

Consider how often people give plasma for money. Good business right? Poor college student? Plasma. A little extra money here and there. Now what about when people get desperate? If someone could give an organ that they could live without, would they? Well why not? We see it all the time in our society: bone marrow transplants, blood transfusions, skin grafts, prostitution, organ donations. This is already part of our society. Now, would one give all of themselves? If a family was suffering enough, would the father give up himself to unwinding to save his family? Would someone do it to end their life? What about tithing? Would parents sacrifice their kids? It happened in the book. If people were given the opportunity, would they do it?

It all comes back to individual moral codes. With things as intangible as a soul, a concrete agreement cannot be found. We just have to hope that through all of the demoralization of the world that we can stay united; both as individuals, and as humanity.