# Virgin Birth **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 21, 2001, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virgin-birth/88653 "2001-10-21T01:26:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virgin-birth/88653/21 "2001-10-21T23:19:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by robby \* > \*\* > BTW, I’ve never heard of Tom Waits. \*\* Sad, indeed. You have lived a very sheltered life. 😉 I’d rather have a full bottle in front of me than a prefrontal lobotomy. - T. Waits ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virgin-birth/88653/22 "2001-10-22T00:30:38Z")
I have heard rumers that a girl can get pregnant (very small % chance) if in a hottub if a guy ejaculates into the water. if true this could expain some ‘virgin’ births. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virgin-birth/88653/23 "2001-10-22T01:54:08Z")
I think it would be pretty easy to distinguish between non-coital fertilization of an egg and “an egg cell that splits spontaneously and grows into a fetus”, which is what the OP is asking about. Would not the offspring in the latter case be genetically identical to the mother? As **tomndebb** mentioned, it would be rather similar to cloning. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virgin-birth/88653/24 "2001-10-22T04:17:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by robby \* > In any event, if you post an oft-times repeated urban legend with no accompanying commentary (or even a smilie), prepare to be called on it. We are here to eradicate ignorance, no? > BTW, I’ve never heard of Tom Waits. I just assumed that the jocular tone of it was clear enough. And that it was [Tom Waits](http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Tom_Waits). Didn’t know that it was circulated as an urban legend. Can’t imagine anyone believing that a bullet “lodged into” the ovaries could result in a pregnancy brought to term. :eek: My faith in humanity is shaken. Again. I am embarrassed that this much discourse has resulted from it. Cheers. [sub]And rest assured, I’ll never post a joke without an clarifying smilie again.[/sub] 😉 ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virgin-birth/88653/25 "2001-10-22T14:17:26Z")
I know a lady who had two children but even after that her hymen was intact. Do those qualify as virgin births? ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virgin-birth/88653/26 "2001-10-22T14:20:46Z")
handy… virgin birth means no intercourse was taken to achieve conception. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virgin-birth/88653/27 "2001-10-22T19:04:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\*I know a lady who had two children but even after that her hymen was intact. Do those qualify as virgin births? \*\* can i safely presume that both deliveries were by ceasarian section? regardless of how one wants to define “virgin birth”, i can’t imagine the hymen staying intact through a vaginal delivery. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virgin-birth/88653/28 "2001-10-22T19:13:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Larry Mudd \* > I just assumed that the jocular tone of it was clear enough. And that it was [Tom Waits](http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Tom_Waits). Didn’t know that it was circulated as an urban legend. Fair enough. I guess I _have_ led a sheltered life. 🙂 [sub]Also, I have heard the “bottle in front of me/frontal lobotomy” quote, but didn’t know who said it.[/sub] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virgin-birth/88653.md?page=1)