Okay, so a court hearing was set ON THE DAY A NEW JERSEY WOMAN WENT INTO LABOR with her ex-fiancee' who filed an order to be present for the birth of their child. The couple was said to be on "barely speaking" terms. Joanna Brick, the woman's lawyer shared her story with the Newark Star Ledger newspaper:
“A court hearing was held the same day DeLuccia [the mother] went into labor and delivered a girl, Brick said, with the mother participating in oral arguments via telephone conference from the delivery room. “The intensity was at a 20,” Brick recalled.”The judge made a ruling in favor of the mother and set a unprecedented rule about a mother (aka the carrier of the unborn child) -
“all patients — and pregnant women especially — enjoy strong privacy protections that let them decide who can be at their hospital bedside.”Decades ago, it was procedure for the father to wait outside the delivery room until the mother delivered the child but by the time the 70's hit, it was more accepted for the father to be a vital part in the process.
But what do you do when the couple dynamic doesn't exist? It's one thing if the two split on amicable terms or have an existing friendship, but when there are extensive differences between the mother and the father, it's definitely a question of ethics. Safety is also a factor because his presence could add stress to the mother which could in-turn compromise the integrity of the birthing process.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Custody is one thing that I fully believe should be 50/50 if both parents are in the best interest of the child, but delivery is another situation. Let me know what you think.
