Pregnancy Discrimation
Unborn Infants - Not On My Cruise Ship
November 4, 2007
We have viewed discrimination by the cruise industry for a large variety of society. The word discrimination is subjective, and really depends on who you are and why you are forbidden services. The truth is just about any person in society can be discriminated against for one reason or another.
Non-smokers say have been discriminated against when public places allow smokers and on the flip side smokers say they are discriminated against when smoking areas are not provided. White men claim they are discriminated against because of affirmative action laws and ethnic minorities say they are discriminated against without affirmative action. Certainly discrimination of any type is a dirty business.
So, when I heard that pregnant women were being banned from cruises at 24 weeks of their pregnancy for most cruise lines and 27 weeks for others, that struck me the wrong way. The first problem is some lines say a passenger can not travel with them from the third trimester on, but then they identify that as week 27. Is it the beginning of the third trimester or week 27? It can't be both.
The first trimester of pregnancy, as any female age 13 and over knows, is 1 to 12 weeks and the second trimester is 12 to 24 weeks. These two trimesters comprise the highest risk period of the pregnancy. The third trimester is 24 to 40 weeks. Full term is considered at 40 weeks.
They don't ban these passengers in weeks 1 to 24 of their pregnancy because they leave it up to the passenger and their doctor to decide if they are healthy enough to cruise. Clearly the use of the 24 week marker by most of the industry is meant to cut off those pregnant women beginning with their third trimester of pregnancy. This marker makes no senses at all. Until you read further into this article.
The term 'miscarriage' is defined as any child birth that takes place from 20 weeks and earlier. Once the pregnancy has reached 21 weeks, it is considered a 'still born' birth from that point forward if the baby is born dead and at that point the baby is large enough to create some serious issues if born for both mother and child.
Looking at those babies growing the few weeks before the cruise lines ban their mothers from cruising, we can see that the pregnancy would certainly be a considerable complication at sea if even a still born birth took place, so why are they not banning pregnant women at 21 weeks on? No baby has survived 20 weeks or earlier. It would make more sense, using their logic.
Baby born at 21 weeks is about 9.5 inches long, a few inches longer than a ball point pen in the incubator next to her.
Week 21:
Baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 9-10 inches long. His eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed. He can be felt moving in the womb.
Preemie survival case at 21 weeks - here
It is plain to see that any baby born at 21 weeks to 27 weeks is in severe risk and will need intensive care to have any chance at all to survive. But, not every pregnancy is at risk of a preterm pregnancy.
For example in my family line there has been one miscarriage, premature or still born birth in the 19th and 20th centuries and none in the 21st century. Women in my family back many generations have not had problems with their pregnancy.
We have good genes, living long lives, a hardy bunch for a fact. So, why should we be banned from cruising at 24 weeks of pregnancy? The odds of us having premature labor are as close to nil as they can be, historically. Clearly this is unfair to throw all pregnant women into a high risk group.
Week 22:
Taste buds develop
This week, baby weighs in at about 1 pound. Taste buds are starting to form on your baby's tongue, and your baby's brain and nerve endings can process the sensation of touch. Baby may experiment by feeling his or her face or anything else within reach. For boys, the testes begin to descend from the abdomen this week. For girls, the uterus and ovaries are in place — complete with a lifetime supply of eggs.
Preemie cases at 22 weeks - here
Week 23:
Lungs prepare for life outside the womb. Baby at week 23 (21 weeks from conception) Baby's lungs are beginning to produce surfactant, the substance that allows the air sacs in the lungs to inflate — and keeps them from collapsing and sticking together when they deflate. "Practice" breathing moves amniotic fluid in and out of your baby's lungs. Baby will begin to look more like a newborn as the skin becomes less transparent and fat production kicks into high gear. With intensive medical care, some babies born at 23 weeks can survive. There are serious risks, however, such as bleeding in the brain and impaired vision. Advances in fetal medicine are steadily improving the odds for the tiniest preemies.
Preemie survival cases at 23 weeks - here
Preemie survival cases at 24 weeks - here
QUICK FACTS:
- Only 8% to 10% of women give birth prematurely.
- 30% of men and women in the United States will experience a heart attack during their lives.
- 45% of all heart attacks occur between the ages of 45 and 65.
- 50% of those who die suddenly from heart disease had no previous symptoms.
- 80% percent of people under age 65 in the United States who died from heart disease did so during their first heart attack.
Source: Florida Health First
Looking at this, then why does the cruise industry not ban elderly patients 70 years of age and older? The risk of a passenger having a serious medical issue while on a cruise is much greater for older passengers, than it is for a hardy breed of young expecting mothers.
There are reports on a monthly basis sometimes a weekly basis of passengers aged 50 and above being air lifted off ships at sea for chest pains.
So, why not ban those over 50 as well? Since Sudden Infant Death Syndrome accounts for 8% of all infant deaths, why not ban infants 6-12 months as well? They don't ban these passengers because they leave it up to the passenger and their doctor to decide if they are healthy enough to cruise, and that is the way it should be for all passengers.
Leave it up to the physicans, who know their patients better than a suit with no medical background sitting in the cruise line head office making policy on who cruises and who doesn't. If they want to ban pregnant mothers at 24 to 27 weeks then at minimum ban everyone 70 and up as well. The odds of a 70 year old having severe medical problems on a cruise far exceed those of a pregnant woman at 24 weeks of her pregancy.
I suspect the rule on pregnancy has more to do with when a fetus is considered a human being, and then can be counted as a wrongful death aboard in a court of law. Abortions are performed legally through the 24th week in many jurisdictions. After that, most legislation says the fetus is an infant or human body. We will not debate the topic of when life begins or the moral stand on abortions. It is merely mentioned as a reference point for this cruise industry topic.
From an actuary point of view (risk managment) wrongful deaths of adult fare paying passengers are only a small percentage of risk when looked at them as part of the fare paying adult passengers as a whole. There are a high percentage of fare paying adults who have no loses onboard, keeping profits high. In the case of an unborn infant, none are fare paying so there are no fares paid for infants to offset the risk. It is 100% liability among that passenger sector. If they could charge a fare for unborn infants, all pregnant women would be allowed. As you can see from the Quick Facts above, the real risk are those age 45 and over, all of whom pay for their cruise. Money is the real issue.
To view the policy on pregnant passengers for all cruise lines - click here
