Is this pregnant woman simply being "entitled" to break the rules/law?

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Had my first trip to NYC this weekend. YAY!!!!

I'm in my 8th month (doc approved--so TIA for the concern )--

Get in late on Friday in time for the nighttime news.

The whole first half hour, they are "teasing" a story about an 8 month pregnatn woman getting a ticket on the subway. They teased it in a mannerto suggest the ticket was preposterous I presume. First time in NYC and 8 months along, I am tuned in for this story so that I don't get any tickets.

It seems she had a long day at work (bless her heart!) and noone...not a single person scared1: I know!)--wouldn't offer her 8 month pregnant self a seat on a crowded subway car. So she took it upon herself to transfer cars while the train was still in motion. Not only is the door clearly marked to NOT do this, but evidently it is now a ticketable offense (not sure why).

She felt (in my interpretation of her "protest" of such an atrocity), that pity should be taken on her b/c she was 8 months pregnant and that she should have been left off with a warning. (She made no mention of a specific health concern--just the "pregnant" status as why she should have been let off).

I have to admit--that I am in those shoes, and even I don't get her issue.

The door wasn't labeled with a sticker that says "do not pass through, unless you are pregnant and noone will offer you a seat, then by all means--endanger yourself".

Granted, I'm just a tourist--so what do I know?

ETA: http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/good_day_ny/pregnant-woman-ticketed-on-subway-20100409-kc

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I think just like the Disney Transportation threads, each person has a reason to sit or offer their seat. And no offense to you personally, but I think her hormones got the best of her good judgement.

Not that it matters, I would have made DH give up his seat.

 

[Tink888]

She gets no sympathy from me. She broke the law, she got caught, she should pay the fine.

It would've been nice if someone had offered her a seat. But people don't. And that's life.

If she thinks she's tired now, just wait until the baby comes and she's been up all night, worked all day and has to get home with her stuff, the baby's stuff and the baby.

I also wonder what she'll teach her child about rules when the time comes.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I think just like the Disney Transportation threads, each person has a reason to sit or offer their seat. And no offense to you personally, but I think her hormones got the best of her good judgement.

Not that it matters, I would have made DH give up his seat.

I dont' take offense to the hormones comment....

I take more offense that seh felt she shouldn't have gotten at ticket due to her pregnancy.

If she had issues with the law, that is one thing. But she felt she should be given a pass b/c she was pregnant since noone would give her a seat. I just think that is dumb logic.

 

[cheermom1]

I don't feel for her sorry just don;t. Should someone have given her their seat? maybe but we don;t know everyone elses issue either. I do know that if me or my family had been there one of us would have given her our seat. But that is just us. Just b/c you are preggo doesn;t mean you get a pass if you break the law.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I saw the woman on TV, and she didn't look huge. Depending on what she was wearing, it's possible that the people on the train just thought she looked overweight, not pregnant.

NYC is desperate for money these days. The police are ticketing people more than they ever have because frankly, the City needs the funds. It's the same thing across the river where I live in NJ. You have to mind your P's and Q's everywhere because things that were overlooked a few years ago will get you a ticket easily nowadays.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Of course not. Did she ask anyone to give up their seat?

 

[Kimberle]

It's very dangerous to change subway cars while moving. That's why she go a ticket.

Also, don't use 2 seats in the subway, even if you're the only person in the car. You'll get a ticket for using more than 1 seat.

 

[bicker]

So she took it upon herself to transfer cars while the train was still in motion. Not only is the door clearly marked to NOT do this, but evidently it is now a ticketable offense (not sure why).

I'd guess that it is ticket-able because of a pretty predictable sequence of events should something happen to a passenger while transferring: Passenger falls, passenger gets hurt or dies, passenger/estate sues, jury ignores the fact that it was ostensibly all the passenger's fault and awards big pay-out, city has to use taxpayer money to pay big pay-out, so everyone is adversely affected by one passenger's decision to take a risk. So society puts in place a fine to help discourage folks from ignoring the warnings. It doesn't fix the problem entirely, but it may keep a few more people safe.

 

[PatsGirl]

I'm more appalled that no one offered her their seat. I would have, my children would have (or a dope slap at least for DS would have been in order, lol) and any man who hopes to have half a chance of being in my life would have

WTH is going on that literally dozens of people feel so entitled to their seats that they don't offer theirs? FWIW, I most likely would have turned down an offer had it been me unless it was a particularly bad day but then again being pregnant didn't wipe me out like it does some women.

 

[Rora]

Rules are rules, IMO. It's not like the rule wasn't reasonable...

No sympathy from me honestly although it is quite rude no one offered her their seat!

 

[DisneySaver28]

I'm more appalled that no one offered her their seat.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/pregger_gal_told_tough_sit_hX2p9kQh6iaVBOQlMMhcNN

She doesn't look undeniably pregnant. I can understand why some people might be afraid of offering their seat and then finding out she's simply overweight.

If I had been in her shoes, I would have asked someone for their seat. Everyone's had a rough day, and people tend to zone out on public transportation.

 

[MichelleVW]

I'm more appalled that no one offered her their seat. I would have, my children would have (or a dope slap at least for DS would have been in order, lol) and any man who hopes to have half a chance of being in my life would have

WTH is going on that literally dozens of people feel so entitled to their seats that they don't offer theirs? FWIW, I most likely would have turned down an offer had it been me unless it was a particularly bad day but then again being pregnant didn't wipe me out like it does some women.

You don't know why those people didn't give up their seats, maybe their reason was better than her reason. Who am I or you to judge why they stayed seated?

I watched the video, the lady didn't seem that big to me. People probably didn't even notice or pay attention that she was pregnant. She needs to get over herself and pay the dang ticket.

 

[luvmy3]

I'm more appalled that no one offered her their seat. I would have, my children would have (or a dope slap at least for DS would have been in order, lol) and any man who hopes to have half a chance of being in my life would have

WTH is going on that literally dozens of people feel so entitled to their seats that they don't offer theirs? FWIW, I most likely would have turned down an offer had it been me unless it was a particularly bad day but then again being pregnant didn't wipe me out like it does some women.

I'm more appalled that she decided to risk her own and her unborn's safety so that she could have a seat. I'm more appalled that another person who doesn't believe the rules and laws apply to them, is reproducing and will most likely raise her child in the same manner. Her entitlement mentality is no different than anyone elses on the train, she doesn't get a pass because she is carrying a child. I take that back, hers is worse, she was the only one who risked her safety, broke a law and then whined about it after being caught, all because she's pregnant and entitled to have and do what she wants. The other people just sat in their seats

 

[disneyjunkie]

NYC is desperate for money these days. The police are ticketing people more than they ever have because frankly, the City needs the funds. It's the same thing across the river where I live in NJ. You have to mind your P's and Q's everywhere because things that were overlooked a few years ago will get you a ticket easily nowadays.

When I heard this on the news last week, I wondered if a uniformed cop gave her the ticket. If so, she should have looked into the next car before opening the doors.

I have walked from one car to the next and will continue to do so if the doors aren't locked. I only do it if I happen to get into a car with a homeless person who has been kind enough to share his/her smell with the whole car. I will also change cars in the middle of the summer if I enter a car with no AC

Last summer I saw a cop give a guy a ticket because he had his foot in one of the chairs. Why he gave him a ticket is beyond me. There may have been 10 of us in the car at the time. The man was not bothering anyone or taking a seat from another rider.

I remember hearing about a woman getting a ticket a few years ago for sitting on the steps leading down to the platform.

I'm all for giving out tickets for jumping the turnstiles, but not for the rest.

I wonder how long it will be before they start giving out tickets for:

leaning on the doors (if the doors open you can fall out)

leaning over the platform to see if the train is coming (you can slip and fall onto the tracks)

running up/down the stairs/esculators to catch a train (you can fall and hurt yourself)

 

[scottishduffy]

She should get a ticket. She broke the rules.

While it would have been nice for someone to offer up their seat, it is not required. Pregnancy is *not* a disability and doesn't entitle a person to break laws/rules. If your Doc has given you a clean bill of health during your pregnancy you can walk and stand as you normally would. It would be nice to get a seat but it wouldn't have hurt her.

I am just waiting for this thread to turn into a cat fight about seat offerings.

Personally, if a woman is VERY obviously pregnant I would offer a seat. I also offer seats to elderly (anyone who looks over 60-65), anyone who has a sleeping child/ baby in their arms, and those who appear to have a disability of some sort. I generally do not offer seats to other capable adults, and children who are perfectly healthy and able to stand.

 

[NikitaZee]

I think she deserved the ticket. I was 9 months pregnant - overdue in fact - on the NYC subway. No one offered me a seat - I stood - I was fine. Although it would have been nice to have had a seat, I definitely wouldn't have taken the risk of walking between cars just to sit for a few minutes. And I definitely wouldn't think my pregnancy would give me a free pass on getting the ticket.

 

[Robinrs]

I was pregnant (VERY) in NYC, riding the subways everyday to work and got a seat given to me ONE TIME... by another pregnant woman!!

She stood up and I was appalled. We spent most of the time tell each other to sit! I won out because my ankles were so swollen I looked like I was going to tip over. THEN we spent the rest of the ride talking about the RUDE sitters all around us that would NEVER give up their seats.

I used to LOVE the ones who either fell asleep or got REAL involved in their newspaper when I was standing in front of them. I remember one creep who made believe he was asleep until the person next to him got up and I sat down next to him. He peeped and saw that I had a seat, then was suddenly wide awake enough to read his paper. I'll skip the little diddy I told him after he did that...not for family websites.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

I'm more appalled that she decided to risk her own and her unborn's safety so that she could have a seat. I'm more appalled that another person who doesn't believe the rules and laws apply to them, is reproducing and will most likely raise her child in the same manner. Her entitlement mentality is no different than anyone elses on the train, she doesn't get a pass because she is carrying a child. I take that back, hers is worse, she was the only one who risked her safety, broke a law and then whined about it after being caught, all because she's pregnant and entitled to have and do what she wants. The other people just sat in their seats

I think you hit the nail right on the head.

 

[LoraJ]

I offered a seat to a pregnant woman on the subway once and she refused it. Just about everyone on the subway is in their own little world.