Baby may join Dutch ‘Big Brother’

The latest Dutch version of the reality show “Big Brother” features a woman who’s seven months pregnant and may give birth live on TV. The government is studying whether using the newborn would violate laws against hiring children.

The show made its season debut Sunday. A spokeswoman for Endemol, creator of the series, said producers hadn’t decided exactly what the program will show when the pregnant woman, identified only as “Tanja,” goes into labor.

“She may be voted off the program first,” spokeswoman Cathelijne Nijssen said.

Nijssen said that in any case, the show would not take medical risks with the baby, and a birth would be presented in “a tasteful manner.”

The Dutch Social Affairs Ministry will decide this week whether to grant a work permit allowing the baby -- essentially a child actor -- to make an appearance on the show. Ministry spokeswoman Bea Versteeg said as long as no laws were broken, the ministry had no objection in principle to having babies on TV.