This is a video, and I have no idea how long it'll stay up, so I'm going to put the entire text in spoiler so people can read it if it poofs-
Mother's Ultimate Sacrifice For Newborn
by CBS Local 2:29 mins
A young California mother made the ultimate sacrifice for her newborn daughter when she refused lifesaving treatment for bone cancer. (To help: https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/wl34/save-smash-ashley-s-recovery-fund). Ashley Bridges was 10 weeks pregnant when she learned of her diagnosis. Although doctors recommended she start chemotherapy immediately, it would have required her to terminate her pregnancy. “There’s no way I could kill a healthy baby because I’m sick,” Bridges told CBS2’s Kristine Lazar. During her third trimester, at eight months, Bridges was told that delaying treatment had allowed the cancer to spread. “That’s basically when they told me that it was terminal,” she said. Bridges was told she needed to deliver Paisley immediately so she could start treatment. Even with multiple rounds of chemotherapy, she was given less than a year to live. “I felt like I tried so hard to keep Paisley safe and do the minimum [treatment] to keep her healthy. The thought that I’m not going to see her grow up is really hard,” a tearful Bridges said. The 24-year-old Bridges also has a 6-year-old son from a previous relationship. “His exact words were, ‘If you pass away, I want to come with you,’ ” she recalled. As Lazar reports, friends and family have been helping Bridges take care of Paisley during the day. Her fiance, who is in the military, takes the night shift. None of them has second-guessed her decision. “She’s a real-life superhero, to be honest with you,” said Jessica, Bridges’ sister. Bridges, too, has no regrets. “Maybe I’m not supposed to be here and she is,” Bridges said of Paisley.
Summary-
Young woman receives news that she has "bone cancer" when she is 10 weeks pregnant. She chooses to forgo chemotherapy and other treatment because it would mean she needs to get an abortion. Now she is terminal and not expected to live longer than a year.
I could see if the diagnosis came later in the pregnancy, and it was possible to deliver the child and maybe still have a chance at surviving, but at ten weeks this seems irresponsible, seconding what Jay said.
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I could see if the diagnosis came later in the pregnancy, and it was possible to deliver the child and maybe still have a chance at surviving, but at ten weeks this seems irresponsible, seconding what Jay said.
If it had been later in the pregnancy, I could see risking it. But to go seven months without treatment?
I should note that my opinion on this is a little skewed. My wife's cousin's kid (which is more like our Nephew) is growing up without his mother because of bad decisions she made. Regardless of the reason, kids will never truly understand why their Mom left them.
Edit: I understand why the Mother made the choice she did, it just seems like a shame she chose the potential of the fetus over the actual child she already had.
I think it's a respectable choice. It's definitely a tough choice, and I understand what you're saying Jay. But this lady isn't trying to leave a heroic story; she's trying to leave a human being.
It's going to be hard growing up without a mother for the six year old (and newborn). Not trying to minimize that. Just saying that it's a respectable choice.
Hard question, but being there for my 6 year old and fiancé is better of available choice to me. Fuzzy animal video made up for the awful downturn. I don't agree with her choice, but what can you do?
I think it's an incredibly difficult choice that I would not wish on anyone. For what it's worth, I do support and respect her decision, but I don't think I could criticize anyone in that situation who decided the other way.
If she can't reconcile an abortion with her faith or beliefs, I'm unsure how passive suicide would be in line with those beliefs. I was raised Catholic and before they started going hard down the abortion bent, they said that suicide was the worst possible sin. I remember this because I was going to Catholic school when my uncle made the choice between living with a psychopath who planned on lying to the police about how he molested their children, or eating a bullet. I remember the priest saying my uncle was in hell at the funeral.
If she can't reconcile an abortion with her faith or beliefs, I'm unsure how passive suicide would be in line with those beliefs. I was raised Catholic and before they started going hard down the abortion bent, they said that suicide was the worst possible sin. I remember this because I was going to Catholic school when my uncle made the choice between living with a psychopath who planned on lying to the police about how he molested their children, or eating a bullet. I remember the priest saying my uncle was in hell at the funeral.
Technically, this would be labeled as martyrdom, which she would be praised for in many religions for. I consider her a martyr, but I would not have made the same decision and chose to abort with that early of a pregnancy.
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If she can't reconcile an abortion with her faith or beliefs, I'm unsure how passive suicide would be in line with those beliefs. I was raised Catholic and before they started going hard down the abortion bent, they said that suicide was the worst possible sin. I remember this because I was going to Catholic school when my uncle made the choice between living with a psychopath who planned on lying to the police about how he molested their children, or eating a bullet. I remember the priest saying my uncle was in hell at the funeral.
Wow, man, **** that priest. What a *****stain of a human. That story kind of hit my berserk button a little. How do you reconcile going up to a grieving family and saying "Oh, by the way, that person you care about whose life abruptly left yours? Yeah, he's burning in a lake of fire for all eternity." What kind of person does that? It's an interesting point though. One I didn't consider. Here's another thought that a occurred to me. Assuming the mother dies, would the child she already had grow to hate their younger sibling ala Cersei and Tyrion Lannister? I'm serious though, that might be a thing. The older child could see the younger one as being responsible for the death of their mother. Why would you leave your kid with emotional trauma like that?
Seems rather short sighted to me. Selfish and self-righteous, too.
Letting yourself die is selfish, but killing your baby isn't? Wut?
Quote from BatterysRevenge »
If she can't reconcile an abortion with her faith or beliefs, I'm unsure how passive suicide would be in line with those beliefs. I was raised Catholic and before they started going hard down the abortion bent, they said that suicide was the worst possible sin. I remember this because I was going to Catholic school when my uncle made the choice between living with a psychopath who planned on lying to the police about how he molested their children, or eating a bullet. I remember the priest saying my uncle was in hell at the funeral.
Catholic teaching is that you can't know the state of anyone's soul, except perhaps the saints. So it is never appropriate for a Catholic to say such a thing. There are actually 2 things that would prevent such a judgement: 1) you do not know his state of mind, he may not have even been capable of mortal sin at the time and 2) you cannot know whether he repented at any time, whether a split second after the trigger was pulled or even after death.
Still doesn't seem like an advisable course of action but there's definitely no final judgement possible about the state of his soul.
To choose to leave a newborn in the world alone because of your personal world view is selfish, yes.
How is it selfish? By what definition is it selfish? If anything, sacrificing your own life to preserve the life of another seems like the opposite of selfishness, it's selflessness.
Quote from LeviatanCL »
this is more stupid and selfish than a sacrifice.
Again, how? What does the word selfish mean to you, exactly?
I'm going to agree with Ljoss here. I'm not seeing how letting yourself die so that your child can live is selfish at all other than the fact that parents in general want their children to live(if you can call that selfishness). The woman had two choices here: to kill the child and live via chemo(she was only 10 weeks but still)or to die and let the child live. Of course this is a hard choice but I would hardly call this selfish. "How dare she let the child live without a mother", what? It's not as if her children are alone in the world now, or are you saying that children without one or both parents are better off dead? Generally giving your life for another's is considered selfless(though there may have been some self interest here), I can't see how this was "disgusting" at all.
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I'm going to agree with Ljoss here. I'm not seeing how letting yourself die so that your child can live is selfish at all other than the fact that parents in general want their children to live(if you can call that selfishness). The woman had two choices here: to kill the child and live via chemo(she was only 10 weeks but still)or to die and let the child live. Of course this is a hard choice but I would hardly call this selfish. "How dare she let the child live without a mother", what? It's not as if her children are alone in the world now, or are you saying that children without one or both parents are better off dead? Generally giving your life for another's is considered selfless(though there may have been some self interest here), I can't see how this was "disgusting" at all.
I wouldn't call it selfish either. It's a difficult scenario. However, in my personal opinion, I think her choice was incorrect because she already had a child who needed her maternal support. I'm thinking about the perspective of the child and how this would affect them. I don't think that the child is better off dead, but them having both parents in their life is preferable. In terms of priorities, I'd think that born child is more important than unborn child, but like I said, that's just my personal take. I understand the complexity of the issue and abortion has always existed in an ethically difficult space for me.
I can certainly understand the mother's desire to let her child be born, but, if she was only ten weeks into pregnancy, out of the usual duration of nine months, I shall say that it would have been better to have an abortion and try again after he cancer was treated. If she had received the news of her cancer, for example, fifteen to twenty weeks into her pregnancy, then I would be more likely to support her decision to not have an abortion and risk the cancer killing her.
As it is, however, I believe that the mother acted rashly and did not give the matter serious thought before making her decision. I am sorry if I sound callous, but I believe that a parent should consider the welfare fo their already-living children ahead of any unborn children whom they may have.
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To choose to leave a newborn in the world alone because of your personal world view is selfish, yes.
How is it selfish? By what definition is it selfish? If anything, sacrificing your own life to preserve the life of another seems like the opposite of selfishness, it's selflessness.
She chose to give her life to save a fetus that was barely formed, leaving her 6-year old son to grow up without a mother or a real father (given that the article strongly suggests that the boy's biological father is not a part of his life).
What an absolutely disgusting person. Choosing to abandon the living for the non-living is a truly vile act.
The 6 year old lost his mother when she made her decision, not when she inevitably dies.
Disgusting? Really? Yes the 6 year old lost his mother, but he's still alive. Because of her decision another of her children is now alive who would not have been. I don't know what kind of person it is that calls that "disgusting" and "vile".
As it is, however, I believe that the mother acted rashly and did not give the matter serious thought before making her decision.
This is just a ridiculous statement. I can't imagine anyone not giving suicide "serious thought". I am pretty sure even depressed suicide victims seriously consider what they are doing and weigh their options... it just so happens that to them dying appears to be the best option. I can't even fathom how you could think a mother would rashly just decide that dying is the best course of action for her to take. Yes, she decided to let herself die so her unborn child could live. Either way at least one person was going to die. I can't believe so many people in this thread seem offended that a mother chose to give her child a chance instead of herself, unborn or not.
As it is, however, I believe that the mother acted rashly and did not give the matter serious thought before making her decision.
This is just a ridiculous statement. I can't imagine anyone not giving suicide "serious thought". I am pretty sure even depressed suicide victims seriously consider what they are doing and weigh their options... it just so happens that to them dying appears to be the best option. I can't even fathom how you could think a mother would rashly just decide that dying is the best course of action for her to take. Yes, she decided to let herself die so her unborn child could live. Either way at least one person was going to die. I can't believe so many people in this thread seem offended that a mother chose to give her child a chance instead of herself, unborn or not.
People make stupid and selfish decisions all the time. Killing yourself doesn't require rational deep thought.
As it is, however, I believe that the mother acted rashly and did not give the matter serious thought before making her decision.
This is just a ridiculous statement. I can't imagine anyone not giving suicide "serious thought". I am pretty sure even depressed suicide victims seriously consider what they are doing and weigh their options... it just so happens that to them dying appears to be the best option. I can't even fathom how you could think a mother would rashly just decide that dying is the best course of action for her to take. Yes, she decided to let herself die so her unborn child could live. Either way at least one person was going to die. I can't believe so many people in this thread seem offended that a mother chose to give her child a chance instead of herself, unborn or not.
People make stupid and selfish decisions all the time. Killing yourself doesn't require rational deep thought.
No but it flies in the face of human nature and desire. The base desire of life is to stay alive. Without some serious mental/emotional issue it is not easy to ignore that base desire. It's not like she thought "nope I'd rather sacrifice myself" and then boom it's over... at any moment she could have changed her mind. To be able to live every day knowing that she was letting herself die could not have been easy and directly contradicts any notion of it being some kind of rash snap decision.
What an absolutely disgusting person. Choosing to abandon the living for the non-living is a truly vile act.
What is this assumption that a life without a mother is not one worth living coming from? And she was making a choice between potential life for herself and guaranteeing the life of her second child. Her shortened post-cancer life as a husk of a human might even be more detrimental than her death granting that he gets a younger sibling to learn from. Meanwhile, they still have a young father who is in the military. Replacement wife shouldn't be much of a hard thing to find for a guy in his position.
I don't think this can be classified as anywhere near "suicide."
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This is a video, and I have no idea how long it'll stay up, so I'm going to put the entire text in spoiler so people can read it if it poofs-
by CBS Local 2:29 mins
A young California mother made the ultimate sacrifice for her newborn daughter when she refused lifesaving treatment for bone cancer. (To help: https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/wl34/save-smash-ashley-s-recovery-fund). Ashley Bridges was 10 weeks pregnant when she learned of her diagnosis. Although doctors recommended she start chemotherapy immediately, it would have required her to terminate her pregnancy. “There’s no way I could kill a healthy baby because I’m sick,” Bridges told CBS2’s Kristine Lazar. During her third trimester, at eight months, Bridges was told that delaying treatment had allowed the cancer to spread. “That’s basically when they told me that it was terminal,” she said. Bridges was told she needed to deliver Paisley immediately so she could start treatment. Even with multiple rounds of chemotherapy, she was given less than a year to live. “I felt like I tried so hard to keep Paisley safe and do the minimum [treatment] to keep her healthy. The thought that I’m not going to see her grow up is really hard,” a tearful Bridges said. The 24-year-old Bridges also has a 6-year-old son from a previous relationship. “His exact words were, ‘If you pass away, I want to come with you,’ ” she recalled. As Lazar reports, friends and family have been helping Bridges take care of Paisley during the day. Her fiance, who is in the military, takes the night shift. None of them has second-guessed her decision. “She’s a real-life superhero, to be honest with you,” said Jessica, Bridges’ sister. Bridges, too, has no regrets. “Maybe I’m not supposed to be here and she is,” Bridges said of Paisley.
Summary-
Young woman receives news that she has "bone cancer" when she is 10 weeks pregnant. She chooses to forgo chemotherapy and other treatment because it would mean she needs to get an abortion. Now she is terminal and not expected to live longer than a year.
Curious about people's opinion on this.
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Maybe if this was her first child and she wanted to give it a chance, but a heroic story is a poor substitute for an actual mother.
Edit: To help you recover from this story, baby cheetahs:
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If it had been later in the pregnancy, I could see risking it. But to go seven months without treatment?
I should note that my opinion on this is a little skewed. My wife's cousin's kid (which is more like our Nephew) is growing up without his mother because of bad decisions she made. Regardless of the reason, kids will never truly understand why their Mom left them.
Edit: I understand why the Mother made the choice she did, it just seems like a shame she chose the potential of the fetus over the actual child she already had.
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It's going to be hard growing up without a mother for the six year old (and newborn). Not trying to minimize that. Just saying that it's a respectable choice.
The cheetah cubs were a good call.
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Technically, this would be labeled as martyrdom, which she would be praised for in many religions for. I consider her a martyr, but I would not have made the same decision and chose to abort with that early of a pregnancy.
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Wow, man, **** that priest. What a *****stain of a human. That story kind of hit my berserk button a little. How do you reconcile going up to a grieving family and saying "Oh, by the way, that person you care about whose life abruptly left yours? Yeah, he's burning in a lake of fire for all eternity." What kind of person does that? It's an interesting point though. One I didn't consider. Here's another thought that a occurred to me. Assuming the mother dies, would the child she already had grow to hate their younger sibling ala Cersei and Tyrion Lannister? I'm serious though, that might be a thing. The older child could see the younger one as being responsible for the death of their mother. Why would you leave your kid with emotional trauma like that?
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Letting yourself die is selfish, but killing your baby isn't? Wut?
Catholic teaching is that you can't know the state of anyone's soul, except perhaps the saints. So it is never appropriate for a Catholic to say such a thing. There are actually 2 things that would prevent such a judgement: 1) you do not know his state of mind, he may not have even been capable of mortal sin at the time and 2) you cannot know whether he repented at any time, whether a split second after the trigger was pulled or even after death.
Still doesn't seem like an advisable course of action but there's definitely no final judgement possible about the state of his soul.
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this is more stupid and selfish than a sacrifice.
superhero? yeah right
How is it selfish? By what definition is it selfish? If anything, sacrificing your own life to preserve the life of another seems like the opposite of selfishness, it's selflessness.
Again, how? What does the word selfish mean to you, exactly?
-Chandra Nalaar
I wouldn't call it selfish either. It's a difficult scenario. However, in my personal opinion, I think her choice was incorrect because she already had a child who needed her maternal support. I'm thinking about the perspective of the child and how this would affect them. I don't think that the child is better off dead, but them having both parents in their life is preferable. In terms of priorities, I'd think that born child is more important than unborn child, but like I said, that's just my personal take. I understand the complexity of the issue and abortion has always existed in an ethically difficult space for me.
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As it is, however, I believe that the mother acted rashly and did not give the matter serious thought before making her decision. I am sorry if I sound callous, but I believe that a parent should consider the welfare fo their already-living children ahead of any unborn children whom they may have.
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
She chose to give her life to save a fetus that was barely formed, leaving her 6-year old son to grow up without a mother or a real father (given that the article strongly suggests that the boy's biological father is not a part of his life).
The 6 year old lost his mother when she made her decision, not when she inevitably dies.
Disgusting? Really? Yes the 6 year old lost his mother, but he's still alive. Because of her decision another of her children is now alive who would not have been. I don't know what kind of person it is that calls that "disgusting" and "vile".
This is just a ridiculous statement. I can't imagine anyone not giving suicide "serious thought". I am pretty sure even depressed suicide victims seriously consider what they are doing and weigh their options... it just so happens that to them dying appears to be the best option. I can't even fathom how you could think a mother would rashly just decide that dying is the best course of action for her to take. Yes, she decided to let herself die so her unborn child could live. Either way at least one person was going to die. I can't believe so many people in this thread seem offended that a mother chose to give her child a chance instead of herself, unborn or not.
People make stupid and selfish decisions all the time. Killing yourself doesn't require rational deep thought.
No but it flies in the face of human nature and desire. The base desire of life is to stay alive. Without some serious mental/emotional issue it is not easy to ignore that base desire. It's not like she thought "nope I'd rather sacrifice myself" and then boom it's over... at any moment she could have changed her mind. To be able to live every day knowing that she was letting herself die could not have been easy and directly contradicts any notion of it being some kind of rash snap decision.
What is this assumption that a life without a mother is not one worth living coming from? And she was making a choice between potential life for herself and guaranteeing the life of her second child. Her shortened post-cancer life as a husk of a human might even be more detrimental than her death granting that he gets a younger sibling to learn from. Meanwhile, they still have a young father who is in the military. Replacement wife shouldn't be much of a hard thing to find for a guy in his position.
I don't think this can be classified as anywhere near "suicide."