Birthing mother is punished for parking - is that fair?

Birthing mother is punished for parking - is that fair?

A young mother in Vienna is causing a stir after she received a parking fine of 36 euros while giving birth to her child. T.M., who was admitted to the Goldenes Kreuz in Alsergrund on November 16, had parked her BMW for a short time and thought she had filled out a parking ticket while she concentrated on the contractions. “I think it's a cheek, I wasn't there for a coffee chat,” the 28-year-old said angrily in the interview Today. However, her concerns were not heard by Magistrate Department 67, which responded to her email with the birth certificate as evidence of a goodwill arrangement. Despite words of understanding, the punishment remained.

Rules remain rules!

The punishment was already hanging on her windshield during T.M.'s stay in the hospital. After receiving an anonymous tip about the parking situation, the woman wrote to the town hall to inquire. According to the answer, an objection to the organ punishment order is not permitted. “It is absolutely understandable that when a child is born, your thoughts are somewhere else,” said MA67, but the outdated system does not allow for any exceptions. T.M. feels treated unfairly: “It’s not about the amount of the punishment, it would have been accommodating if they had said – let’s forget it…”.

In a different context, an article by Thinkpunk the effects of language on thinking, especially in relation to the generic masculine. A well-known riddle about a surgeon who cannot operate on his own child because he is female challenges convention, but the riddle's jargon has a manipulative effect on perception. This subtlety of language can often mislead us, similar to the strict rules surrounding parking violations that come into play when you least expect it.