MONEY MORAL DILEMMA. Would you give up a £50 train seat for a pregnant woman?

shoneranne

scotsbob wrote: »

Certainly not.

I wouldn't want to be regarded as sexist and politically incorrect by showing favour.

Besides, we taxpayers are subsidising her pregnancy with state handouts, I'm not giving up a seat as well.

This pregnant woman is most likely a taxpayer too and not necessarily receiving state handouts - what an ignoramous you are. There are plenty of other people who are not pregnant who are receiving state handouts. As a pregnant woman myself I have paid tax for the last 22 years and have paid tax at the 40% rate for the last 15 years. How much have you contributed?

Primrose

Having had major back surgery I cannot stand for long periods but would still offer my seat to a heavily pregnant woman, at least on a 50/50 time-share basis. If everybody nearby offered to do this for 15 minutes at a time, nobody would be physically inconvenienced for long periods and honour would be served all round. Unfortunately these days there doesn't seem to be much honour around anywhere, does there? And yes, any pregnant woman should have the sense to reserve a seat in advance but what if she'd just had an emergency phone call to say her father was dying and had just caught the first train available to be able to see him one last time? Some emergencies can't be planned for in advance.

jimxc28

I would also give up my seat as soon as I saw her! Simple.

I am absolutely & utterly speechless after reading so many posters wrote that they blatantly wouldn't offer her a seat. "She should have booked..etc etc". Yes, she should have, but she didn't obviously, perhaps there was a reason why she didn't! This is not a reason to punish her. Like another poster said, you obviously have never experienced being pregnant, my wife is so currently and she can not stand for too long without feeling faint. How utterly ignorant and appalling are you people who would refuse. You would sit there on your comfortable cushioned seat, just so your legs don't hurt and just ignore her, watching her having to hang onto the railings, almost losing her footing. Your mothers were pregnant once, would you do or let the same happen to her. What if she fell over and thus miscarried, all because you wanted to sit. Complete scum ignorant arrogant selfish people. Typical state of many people in this county.

What's this about pregnant women living on state handouts?? Where did this come from! My wife is certainly not on any handouts, she runs her own teaching business and is still doing it. She receives the complementary packs and that's it. She works bloody hard! Also i'd like to mention, we have foreign students who sit and she stands. On many occasions she has felt faint and one of them has *rushed* to get her a seat. She doesn't expect it, she doesn't ask them; "look you lot, i'm "up the duff" (as some ignorant put it") if i feel rough, you better get me a seat", no, they just do it automatically, cos they're human/normal! The state of some English people is horrific.

someone said:
"Not being funny, but it was your choice to become pregnant. Why should others make concessions for your decision? When I was pregnant, I never expected others to do this for me."

Why should others make concessions for your decision?? It's not a concession, it's a bloody act of good faith you ignorant person. Horrific comment!! My wife doesn't expect people to bend over backwards for her at all, but we ALL should help one another to live, but that's the issue here, seen clearly on this thread; in this country only a minority actually care about their fellow man, the rest couldn't care less. It's a sad, sorry state of affairs and disgraceful at that.

This woman is bringing new life into the world, leave your stereotypical views that she is a just another pregnant single benefit scrounger behind ("living on state handouts"). She is pregnant. simple. pregnant. The miracle of life! The one way humans are brought into this world. The baby is very fragile and so is she, show some decency, compassion and normality! Wait until you have a serious accident, perhaps you will lose a leg and need to sit down on a similar journey, not being able to book prior for example...you WILL want to sit and you WOULD like it if someone offered their seat and you WOULD hope that someone would do it!!!-guaranteed.

IT'S ONLY A SEAT! WE'RE HUMANS AND HAVE LEGS AND A SPINE AND CAN STAND FOR HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!! In Auschwitz there were 1m square cells where 4 prisoners were crammed in and forced to stand all night!!

I praise the people on here who would offer their seats and spit disgust at the others who would refuse.

inneedofabreak

Flickering_Ember wrote: »

Not being funny, but it was your choice to become pregnant. Why should others make concessions for your decision?

Because it's polite??!

hislan

the_beast wrote: »

Have you ever thought that there might be a reason for the 'big strong man' not giving up his seat? As a 'big strong man' I would offer my seat to a pregnant lady in a heartbeat, had it not been for the accident I had which tore my knee apart when I was 16. Standing for long periods is probably harder for me than most (although having never been pregnant I can't confirm this), and having a smart alec trying to make me feel bad about it is the last thing I need. How does this make you any better than the others not offering their seat? Not really a great example for your kids...

On a shorter journey I would be more than happy to offer my seat, but I would be wary of offering it to a seemingly pregnant fat woman, as the offer may cause offense!

I'm not saying that people with disabilities (whether visible or not) should give up their seats - as obviously, they are in need of them too! But c'mon, don't try and tell me that the WHOLE CARRIAGE is full of people with disabilities!!!

And as for being a good example for my kids, my mother who they have frequent contact with is physically disabled with polio, so they will have the opportunity to experience EXACTLY how society treats the disabled from ring-side seats!!!

If it helps you sleep at night making excuses....then knock yourself out!!!

alicnik

If someone's pregnant, you give up your seat for them if you can (allowing for the elderly, disabled, injured and other pregnant people). It's not patronising, it's not condescending, it's not an outdated tradition; it's simple humanity.

From my experience on Virgin when this exact situation happened to me, I asked the train manager if the pregnant lady could move to first class for some peace and quiet, in response to which we both got an upgrade. So for the ethically devoid and iniquitously selfish among you, do a decent turn; likelihood is the pregnant lady gets an upgrade and you get your original or an upgraded seat in return. Worst that happens is that the manager's actually Satan, you don't get a seat back, and you go home knowing that you've slowed down the degeneration of society a tad. Worth a nifty in my book.

Good knowledge above on the section 39 of National Conditions of Carriage front. Very handy.

jimxc28

rountree wrote: »

no i wouldn't.

It's not my fault she hasn't got a seat, and it's not my fault she's pregnant. She should have booked in advance like (i assume) everyone else, and if i've paid £50 for a seat, I certainly wouldn't give it up for anyone, old lady/pregnant woman.

Taxpayers will be paying towards the cost of her child so why start helping her with a seat too?

If it was me, I wouldn't expect anyone who has paid for their seat and has a long journey to give their seat up for me, but then again, I would have booked in advance!

I think it's quite rude that people in society still believe in these things, I mean, why should anyone feel pushed to do this? I am a woman and yet I don't believe this.

Perfect example of the state of society. A stupid, thick, uneducated, ignorant moron who has ZERO idea about how to live a humane, compassionate life.

Taxpayers will be paying towards the cost of her child??

How on earth can this idiotic person say this, where has she got this information? My wife has been pregnant for 7months now and the Tax payer hasn't had to pay anything. She uses the NHS just like you do. She pays her NI contributions and TAX, possibly like you do, but possibly you don't. Perhaps you're not a tax payer and have no idea about it or anything, because it certainly sounds like that. When our daughter is born, we will be paying for her food, clothes, education and everything. What is the tax payer going to pay for??????? Did you forget, you stupid down right brainless fool that you were a child once and your mother was pregnant??????

Yes we can all sit at a computer and book tickets 2,3,4 weeks in advance, but like someone said, if she had to make the journey suddenly, which happens in non-zombie lives quite possibly the style of your life, she would have HAD TO pay a massive fare, triple or quadruple what you would have paid. I can go from brighton to mancheter for 14quid if i book like 10yrs in advance or pay 600quid on the day. So let's think she would have had to pay a big fare and then be faced with brainless morons like you refusing a seat because you're too selfish and UNEDUCATED to realise anything. People who have dodgy knees, post back-surgery or any other problem fine, you also need a seat, but healthy people have no excuse!

Tax payer will be paying. Cannot get over it, hilarious actually how much a brainless stupid fool you are! :rotfl:

patrick0

In the past I wouldn't have, but would now. Having spent a few weeks in crutches and travelling on the tube to work, I was amazed by how many people had no interest in offering to stand for me despite me visibly struggling and them sitting in disabled/elderly seats.

That experience made me realise how easy it is to put your head down and ignore elderly/pregnant/disabled people. It's made me more considerate towards others.

shirlgirl2004

I was pregnant and had to stand on a normal (non-bookable) commuter train. The train was delayed and I had to sit on the floor (I felt so ill I couldn't stand any longer). By the time the journey got to it's destination I felt so unwell I had to turn around and go home. These people wouldn't have paid any more for their tickets than me and no-one offered me a seat not even when I was forced to sit on the filthy stinking floor.

Would I give up my seat? Yes. Not everyone can plan every journey enough to prebook and choose quieter trains.

agaqueen

All the posters appear to be basing their comments on the fact that you have paid £50 for a seat whereas, of course, you have paid most of that for the JOURNEY and very little (I'm not sure how much) for the SEAT itself. So you are not giving her the benefit of the £50 at all as she has paid her own fare - all you are doing is giving her the benefit of your prebooking -not quite the same thing!