About the woman who gave birth at Warren St Station

[TherightsideofHERstory]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-46908685

AIBU to think that this type of shit is getting worse?

Glad to hear that Mum & Baby are well but wtaf is wrong with people?

Transport for London staff had provided them with some privacy by holding up a blanket protecting the mother from onlookers who walked past and started filming

Really? What actual thought process happens that someone sees a woman giving birth in a public place and their first thought is to get their fucking phone out and film her??

I despair of my fellow humans sometimes I really do.

[frazzledasarock]

Come rely agree OP, I hate this mentality of pulling phones out and filming people in distress instead of trying to help or get the fuck out of the way to ensure help gets to the perso in need.

[frazzledasarock]

Completely not come rely

[explodingkitten]

I feel that it is such an invasion of privacy to be filmed when helpless that it should be punishable by law.

[SillySallySingsSongs]

I agree. We were at a big rugby match recently where in the safety announcements they actually said, do not stop to film any incident on your 'phone just evacuate.

How did we get to a point where that even has to be said?

[Biggerknickersagain]

Yeah, I think it is. My first instinct if I see a situation like that is to offer help, even if it's only holding a hand, not start filming with my phone!

But then a couple of years ago an elderly and frail lady fell in a shopping area, people just carried on walking, I couldn't believe it. I had to ask someone watching to call an ambulance and ask shop staff - stood watching too - for something to keep her warm until help arrived. One other person stopped, he was a local GP.

But even if you're not comfortable to help, keep walking, there's no need to film it!

[AuntieStella]

I've been teaching my DC that you give assistance where you can; and if you can't , then you give privacy.

(Exceptin - if you genuinely think a crime is underway, you cannot safely intervene other than by filming, and the only use you make of the cottage is to offer it to the police)

[BejamNostalgia]

Jesus. That poor, poor woman. I hope she and baby are okay and she hasn’t been too traumatised. Did any of them try and move them on? I think I would have tried to organise a human chain to shield her.

Awful people.

[TherightsideofHERstory]

Is it just the rush to be the first to post film or pictures of an incident on Social Media, or do they think they can sell it to news broadcasters/newspapers? Agree that it should be an offence, it is such a gross invasion of privacy.

[Pringlecat]

I can sort of understand why some people film certain things - they may not feel able to help, but the footage can be examined by police. However, how exactly does violating a woman's privacy in this way help anyone? It's not evidence of a crime taking place - it's capturing a very private moment that doesn't belong to them.

Given how undignified childbirth is, I doubt this is something the woman wanted captured. I agree with the PP, it should be a criminal offence. It's no different to filming and sharing revenge porn - you take a moment that belongs to a woman and humiliate her for your own gratification.

[Mummyoflittledragon]

Awww bless. Disgusting behaviour from onlookers.

When dd was a toddler, she had her first reflex anoxic seizure. It’s where the heart stops beating but automatically restarts. I was just beside the tills having just paid. I had her on my lap on the floor and thought she was dead. Shoppers were casually walking all over us as though we weren’t there. I could have easily murdered them.

[AlexaAmbidextra]

What a fucking disgrace these people are. I despair, I really do. 👿

[EmmaGrundyForPM]

It's disgusting behaviour and there should be some sort of law against it.

[Juells]

The sister of a someone I know was killed in a RTA. People were filming her as she died. Why would anyone want to do that? It's as if they're divorced from all natural feeling.

[MrsTommyBanks]

That's awful behaviour. Hope Mum and baby are doing well and not too traumatized.

[DanielRicciardosSmile]

I don't know that it's getting worse, just more visible now that all the world and its whippet have phone cameras and social media. There's always been rubberneckers - I remember when the plane crashed in Kegworth in the 80s reports of people putting their pyjama-clad kids into the car to go have a look.

[SauvignonBlanche]

How traumatic, can’t believe the fuckers who tried to film it.

[katseyes7]

l have a friend who's a nurse, a couple of weeks ago someone took ill in the hospital reception, she and some of her team ran to help, and bystanders were apparently filming it on their phones. She 'had a word' and as she said, "l wasn't polite about it, either."
What on earth is wrong with these people?!

[EwItsAHooman]

About six or seven years ago we had a house fire, during the day thankfully so we got out almost immediately and rang the fire brigade from the house across the road who very kindly took us in rather than see us stand on the corner in the rain with a baby and a toddler. Loads of people were stood out on the path watching, cars were pulling over to watch. All of them filming.

Know how many of them rang 999?

None.

Ours was the only 999 call. I don't expect anyone to be a hero and dive into a burning building but none of those people knew if anyone was inside or if it had been reported yet not a single one of them thought to pause filming for a few seconds to give the fire brigade a quick call.

Lookie-loos have always existed though. I had a car crash many years ago before phones were as widespread as they are now so no chance of anyone filming it with their Nokia brick. However I was in the back of the ambulance with the paramedic doing various checks on me before we set off for hospital, checking my responses and such, when there was a knock on the side door. Paramedic opened it and it was some random bystander asking to know what was going on and trying to get a look inside! Paramedic sent him away with a flea in his ear.

[krustykittens]

I knew a woman whose young daughter had a riding accident. She filmed her daughter crying in pain, strapped to a guerney, being loaded into the ambulance. Her own daughter. I was horrified but a lot of people see nothing wrong with this behaviour. We must document everything we see for others, or else it didn't happen.

[Spamfrittersforeveryone]

People are mindless fuckers.

That student doctor though. How lovely does he sound? Bless him.

[honeyrider]

Disgusting behaviour by those filming.

I don't know what goes through peoples minds if they think this is ok. A couple of years ago a toddler in a buggy was run over by a lorry and died and the fire crew had to stop numerous people filming what was happening.

[MorningsEleven]

I agree that filming someone in this way is awful. The fella who helped deliver the baby sounds like an absolute star though.

[AlisonW1982]

Filming in this situation should be a criminal offence. No excuse, this is abhorrent. The mother and baby needed medical support, if you're not part of that, what on earth are people thinking?

I'd be utterly distraught about being filmed at a scary and vulnerable time with no ability to stop people, which can directly affect the safety of birth - I can't believe this isn't unlawful?

Won't these people be prosecuted for something? Behaviour designed to intimidate or cause distress? And make them destroy the footage? Can any police/lawyers comment?

[WorraLiberty]

I feel that it is such an invasion of privacy to be filmed when helpless that it should be punishable by law.

I completely agree.

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

It's completely ghoulish and awful that people would sooner film something than HELP.
I'm disgusted by their reaction - it's so much worse than "bystander syndrome", now it's "viral video syndrome" or something, which is appalling.

People's human suffering is not there for our entertainment, although given some of the "reality" tv shows on air these days, I may be in a minority to think that!