A man has sparked a heated debate on social media after saying he refuses to give up his seat for pregnant women as he is tired from working long hours.
It is a socially accepted rule of public transport that seats - especially designated priority seats - should be given up to those who need it most - such as the elderly, those with disabilities, and pregnant women.
However, one man has vocally expressed his refusal to give up his bus seat for a pregnant woman due to the fact that it was her "personal choice" to carry a child.
Taking to Reddit's Am I The A**hole? subforum, the man in question titled his post: "AITA for not giving up my seat to a pregnant woman?"
In his lengthy post, the man asked fellow Redditors if he was in the wrong for refusing to give up his seat for a pregnant woman after he had just worked a ten-hour shift.
"So last night I’m on the bus, and a very heavily pregnant lady gets on," he writes. "She looks around for a seat, only to find there are no available ones left. I’m the closest to her, so she starts giving me the imploring eyes.
"I wasn’t rude or anything, I just told her no, I’ve had a long day and my feet are sore. I don’t want to give up my seat."
"She started crying about how she’s a pregnant single mom," the post continues. "I told her I’m sorry, but that was her personal choice and she can’t expect other people to accommodate her life choices."
The Redditor then detailed how he told the woman that it wasn't his job to support her because she couldn't afford a car. He added that a nearby elderly man then started to call him out over his comments.
"I was tired and had a long day, and I don’t know why we need to keep perpetuating the idea that breeding somehow means [you're] entitled to people’s seats," he concluded the post.
After pitting the question of whether or not he was, in fact, being an a**hole, Redditors were divided.
As expected, there were plenty of people who chewed him out of his lack of respect toward the pregnant woman.
One person commented: "Yeah - YTA [You're the a**hole]. Did you know that being heavily pregnant really alters your balance, let alone the tired thing?
"No - you didn't ask her to be pregnant, but you can, as an able-bodied otherwise healthy person just choose to be nice. By being a selfish grumpy bugger a heavily pregnant person and an old person fell over. Bringing up the contraception/abortion/'breeding' angle too really makes you an a**. I bet you're a real 'nice guy'."
Another person added: "It should absolutely be expected to give up your seat to someone who physically needs it more."
And a third added: "YTA. The way you talk about others is disgusting. [It's] also just general politeness/decency to give up your seat to someone who is pregnant."
However, some other commenters were more supportive and said that the pregnant woman didn't have the right to demand a seat just because she was carrying a child.
For instance, one commenter wrote: "I’m a woman, btw. I just don’t feel like you should be forced to give up your seat because she is pregnant.
"Yes, pregnancy sucks, and it’s uncomfortable as all hell, but that is no reason for you to suffer, imo. You’re in pain, too, and there were plenty of other people who could have stood rather than you."
So, was this man in the right for taking a hardline stance on this issue? Be sure to let us know what you think in the comments section.
