yournamehere

I ask this because I went to the grocery store today, saw someone pulling out of a good parking stall, and pulled in after they left. As I was turning off my car, I noticed a sign in front of me. At first, I thought they had added more handicapped parking spaces (which would have been a good idea - there are only 4 now - for a very large shopping plaza), but on closer inspection, I saw a cartoon drawing of a stork carrying a baby in a diaper sling, and the words "Reserved for Our Expectant Mothers."

It seems the store (a national chain) has started a new program for pregnant women to sign up in the pharmacy, and get a special parking sticker to park in these new parking spaces, which are adjacent to the handicapped spaces.

My take on this - and I know it's probably going to be an unpopular one - is that pregnancy is a voluntary, nondebilitating (for the most part) condition, and certainly not deserving of "special", closer parking stalls. I think this is a slap in the face to genuinely disabled people - to make light of the situation with cutesy little signs and all.

While I can certainly have sympathy for a woman schlepping groceries during our hot summer while in her third trimester, I think that on any given day, there are probably other people who are fighting the flu, or have a bad back, or have a cast on a leg (all <i>involuntarily</i>) who are every bit as deserving of those spaces as a pregnant woman.

What do you think?

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Stare At The Sun

So im a stupid male, but i say "Suck it up" you shouldnt be out if you cant walk more than 20 feet. most women are just looking for an excuse anyways. and besides, if parking 10 foot closer is that big of an issue, what about the 1000 feet you walk they walk in the store after they get there. I think special spots should be for people w/o legs...etc

JazzmanAl

Those spots are never filled, so I say let the ladies have them if they truely need them.

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Cynthetiq

with so many people abusing the handicapped parking.. with and without the signage... I'm not a fan of it.

while I understand the marketing behind it. it's capturing future and growing families, branding is an important deal.

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sexymama

Pregnancy is not a disability and pregnant woman need exercise. I am not a "stupid male;" I've been pregnant 3 times and I say this is a bad idea.

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bermuDa

only in the third trimester... but really, pregnant women kinda outnumber the truly disabled.

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alkaloid

It's their parking lot so they can do whatever they want. I wouldn't freak out about it.

meff

They should change that parking spot to handicapped for the *truely* handicapped people, like in wheel chairs and not. Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you can't walk 20 feet to the damn store door. Besides, pregnant woman wouldn't be able to fit into one of those shopping carts that drive around

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Lebell

I have no problem with a company deciding to do this (it's their parking lot) or with a pregnant woman getting a handicap sticker (the expiring kind).

So what if I have to walk another 20 or 30 feet?

I just thank God that I have the legs and health to walk.

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weasel2112

No they don't. Most grocery stores now have the "Expected mothers" parking spaces.

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Ripsaw

The only reason that any of us are here is because some woman carried us around for nine months, through the sleepless nights, puking, cravings, back-pain, cramping, slow-walking, and hardship that is childbearing. If you have not met and cared for an expecting woman, do so before you say "it's a piece of cake".

Respect them.

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absorbentishe

It's fine. My wife carried all four of our children with very little problems. Some women have problems from the onset, and this would be great for them. There should be a limit on who and when can get these, but like handicap spots, these will be abused too. Let the women have these spots, does it kill you (if you are not pregnant) to walk an extra 20 feet? Personally, I park further out just so I can walk a little extra.

Cynthetiq

hmm... maybe they'll have the Men with Hard On parking spots... I mean fair is fair right?

it's pretty difficult to walk with one of those tent poles... poking out pointing at everything in front of you....

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ARTelevision

heh heh.
interesting response there Cyn...
um, no.
I don't see many reasons for "handicapped status" at all.

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Litespeed

If the store chooses to designate special stalls for their expectant mothers, let them. They wouldn't do it if they weren't getting happy customers out of it!

Gotta love the beauty of the free-market system...

yournamehere

I agree <b>Cynthetiq</b> - but it's very difficult to drive with a Hard On, too - I think that's how "The Club" got invented.

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Slims

Last I heard a little excercise was good for pregnant women.

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Stiltzkin

Yeah, now if this was a regular user posting, this comment probably would have been edited by a mod but I digress.

Anyway, I always park as far away as I can, and the reason is that this leaves my car closer to the parking lot exit; I don't like shopping or going to stores in general, and I wanna get the fook outta there as soon as possible. If I park close, there's usually more people walking around the areas of the parking lot that're closer to the store, and other things getting in the way. Most people park close, so you'll have more people pulling in, or leaving, in that same area. No true for the farther parts of the parking lot, so it's much easier to make a clean get away. I also always my car so that I don't have to back up to get out; I just drive forward and get the heck outta there.

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Double D

Okay, two pregnancies here.

If one is having a rough pregnancy to the point of being temporarily *disabled,* one can get a doctor to sign off and get a temporary disabled card.

I think though, that this isn't really in deference to the pregnant among us, rather it's a marketing ploy, as Cyn remarked.

And just 'cuz some of you guys are making annoying remarks, I'm gonna pull out the martyr card. I qualify for a disabled card (heart failure) and I don't have (apply for) one. So there.

Cynthetiq

Slitz, maybe it could have been stated slightly differently. My point of stating it as such is because it's an absurd thing. If I park there and am not pregnant what happens? Do I get a ticket? Does the rent-a-cop come over and hand me a little leaflet telling me I did something wrong? All those things cost extra, costs passed along to us the consumers.

as far as it being a marketing ploy, let's look at something along the lines of say, Home Depot, a family man comes to Home Depot with his kids, maybe they should have a Fathers with Children in Tow... But here's where you get into the roles which is always sticky. Why is it that it's a mother going to the market? Doesn't the father who has kids in tow, also have an inconvenience that could easily be helped by him parking closer?

As far as the disability card, it's not an easy decision. I used to have to walk with my disabled friend from the furthest of parking lots because people used the handicapped "for just a moment" or because "grandma has the card, so i can use it too"

I qualify for the card under ADA rules, I've not bothered to apply. I'd feel stupid.

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ShaniFaye

I went thru one full pregnancy..the only time I would have liked parking closer was in the final 2 weeks (because it was August and I'm in Georgia and it was hot as hell) but I've never thought of it as a "must have".

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gump

being a disabled person i can go both ways on this. for me to get in and out of my wheelchair i have to have room enough to open my door all the way and still enough room to shut the door turn around and take off. nothing fires me up more when i'm trying to find a place to park and then see either a normal person just hop in thier car and take off or a 450+ pound person [no offense] taking up a handicapp spot. i can usally push faster then most people can walk its just the principal of the matter. handicapp parking was designed for the handicapp. now if some department stores install other parking thats fine by me... no problem just leave enough room for us cripple people.

Shyla Loral

*Should* the stores do this? I don't think so, and I've been pregnant with a *huge* 21'lomg 9 pound baby. It's advertising, the stores give a discount and engender themselves to the pregnant woman and her family by offering the spots.
But if I were pregnant, I'd want the spot!

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LewisCouch

The real difficulty would just be getting in and out of the car. Having to walk a few extra feet doesn't seem like such a bother, so I vote no.

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bundy

i think if a mum-to-be is in her third trimester, and shes driving to the shops. then yes, she should be allowed to park in the handicap spaces.

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Speed_Gibson

I drive a van with honest-to-goodness disabled stickers on it every day - some of the clients have wheelchairs or walkers - and strongly believe it is important to leave those spots for the truly disabled.

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Rodney

Some mothers have a fine pregnancy, others can barely walk -- and this distinction often bears no relationship to the shape they were in _before_ they were pregnant. It's just the way things play out. Women in that bad a shape should stay home -- often the doctors order them to -- but sometimes they have no choice.

If this were actual governmental policy, there'd be years of nitpicking to go through. But it's just a store's policy for its private parking lot, so who cares? If this is something there's really a need for, and if pregnant mothers respond by giving such businesses more loyalty, we'll see more of it. If not, not.

StormBerlin

My boyfriend and I had a discussion about this the other day when we went to the mall (a mall, not a grocery store) and my opinion on it is that if she can't walk the extra twenty feet to the door from a regular parking space, she shouldn't be shopping at the mall in the first place.

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soopadoopa

I don't think there should be a specific spot, But I do think they should be eligible for a tempory handicapped permit. Make it a different color or something, with the exp. date on it. It should be available anywhere, not just the stores who think it's great advertising. If my wife were pregnant, I think I'd appreciate it. Besides, I can walk, I need the excercise.

Forever

My mom always hated those spots - she told me she walked everywhere and got plenty of exercise even until the last day. My boyfriend's mom said the same thing.

I say no way are they deserved. The exercise is good for them, and walking into a grocery store from a parking lot is hardly anything anyway.

yournamehere

I had forgotten about this thread until <b>Forever</b> bumped it.

After reviewing the posts, I found it interesting that the majority of comments contradict the results of the poll.

Anyway - thanks to all who responded and/or voted. I think we pretty much all agree that the only best interest the store is concerned with is their own.

Whoda thunk?

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SLIMM

i dont think that the signs are reallly needed for most women who are pregnant,but maybe its a good idea to have for those cases where there is different problems with the pregnancy!
seems that some women have a lot harder pregnancy than others so maybe the signs do serve a purpose!?!?!

Holo

I would be for more handicapped spaces(maybe just one more by law per business) and then making a law that a pregger with a Dr. signed pregnancy related disability could use a handicappped space with a temporary permit to expire when the pregnancy ends. I don't see *that* many pregnant women when I go out so the extra space could be used by the perm disabled as well in their absence. Everyone wins. Of course the stores do it to garner customer loyalty and that makes me disagee with it. The company could give two flying fucks about the moms-to-be, it's just a way to hook a group of consumers(family) into coming to their store.

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numist_net

I'm with Holo on this one. There are a few people in my family who are disabled, and need the space, but having the expactant mothers space is a space that is not being used. Its a marketing ploy. If a woman is having trouble, thats perfectly good reason to get a doctor approval for a disabled spot, but sheesh.

I voted: Lighten up, dude - what's next - drowning puppies?
But as far as the parking spots go, get a doctor, man.
Sure, a pregnancy is special and a lot of trouble, and the women deserve purple hearts, but the parking space is a marketing ploy.

dy156

I'm for it, because, call me hard hearted here, but there are usually too many hadicapped spots. Stores have to comply with government mandates about how many handicapped spaces they need, but in my observation, they are rarely used, and it is even more seldom that those spots are full. I think pregnant women should have more right to them than I do, or some jackass just wanting a good spot does.

shakran

Absofarkinglutely NO. Disabled people have a hard enough time finding a parking space. The concept that they're rarely used is total BS and is becoming less true as our population ages and becomes more disabled. My brother is disabled, and we usually have a HELL of a time finding an accessible spot - remember, unless the spot is VAN accessible (has the white hashmarks next to it to keep people from parking next to the spot), then wheelchair users can't use it, because they can't get the lift down from the side of the van.

Now it's being suggested that someone who CHOOSES to get pregnant gets priority parking, keeping people who DID NOT CHOOSE to get disabled from being able to park? That's ridiculous. You CHOSE to be pregnant. You KNEW what would happen if you got pregnant. You KNEW you'd get bigger and getting around would be temporarilly harder (though not as hard as for a disabled person.) Made. Bed. Lie.

This is just another example of so many parents in our society who think they're entitled to special privledges just because they chose to have children.

If you wanna have kids, that's GREAT. I hope you raise them to be good, productive members of society. But society did not choose to have your child and society should not have to suffer because of your choice.

If you give away handicapped spaces to pregnant women, the disabled will find it next to impossible to find a place to park.

Rubyee

I vote yes, they should. It is so easy to lose a baby- my sister just about did. If you are walking and slip on some ice, then the baby could die right there. I think that it would be a nice gesture. Now, this doesn't give them any more right than the other handicapped, but it does give them a hand. At least for me, I would not mind giving up a good spot to a pregnant woman.

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FastShark85

IT'S CALLED CLEVER MARKETING.

Toys-R-Us has those spots, and my wife bought our kids' toys there instead of the store down the road.

Follow the money, folks. It leads to truth!

pocon1

If anything, those spaces should be for people with kids in tow, especially mpre than one kid. That is dangerous trying to maneuver them through a crowded parking lot, especially if one wants to walk and the other is in a stroller. I'll probably leash kids when I have them. I just ignore the spaces otherwise, they have no legal basis and there is nothing they can do to stop your parking there. It has as much legal basis as say Christian parking only, but motherhood is untouchable. you complain about preferences for motherhood, and your name will be smeared through the media. "Extra! Extra! Pocon1 hates motherhood! His own mother wants to disown him!" Sorry, just a rant against political correctness.

numist

shakran, the question was not can they use disabled spots as-is, it was should there be special spaces earmarked for expectant mothers only. If you were actually answering to that - sorry then, I guess I misread.

I guess in retrospect in some places its ok, in other places its not. If I ever saw one of those at a Home Depot - I may have to go postal on the manager of that institution... Its still a marketing ploy.

I'm still in favor of doctor approval if necessary. I dont believe in priority parking, pills, or anything for that matter unless its duly needed.