May 2010

What do you think about the Ohio Runaway Mom’s reason for abandoning her child?

It’s time to celebrate Mother’s Day, and the story headlining the nightly news is about a Tiffany Tehan, the Ohio “Runaway Mom.” After a national search for Tiffany, she was found in Miami Beach, Florida, with Tre Hutchinson, her lover. She told reports that the reason for abandoning her newborn was selfishness; saying she’s in love with Tre.

The Today Show on NBC did a survey, asking if there’s a double standard, between women and men, when it comes to parents who abandon their families. 76.2% of the show’s viewership felt that there was a double standard; finding that society is more accepting of men when it comes to this topic. Thus, women who abandon their children are sorely frowned upon.

Gail Saltz, a Psychiatrist and Jeff Gadere a Clinical Psychologist show’s contributor suggested that the disparity in treatment was simply:

Women have a physical connection to their children. It is the shared experience of the child’s development in the womb that makes it harder for women to abandon their children. The contributors called it the reality of commercial bonding. Leave your comments by clicking on Feedback or join our Social Network.