Normally, the birth of a child would be something special to treasure. As a parent, I gush over other people’s kids and welcome the newest members of the parenting community. I’d give my congratulations to all parents both known and unknown.
This morning though, I didn’t want to. 1010 WINS reported that Beyonce and Jay-Z had their little bundle of joy. As I was thinking, “How great for them!”, the reporter announced that they paid $1 million dollars to shut down the entire maternity ward at Lenox Hill Hospital. Workers had to turn in their cell phones to avoid pictures getting out of their newborn. While I get that they are protecting their child (after all I’m a parent, too), I did not feel it was fair for them or the hospital administrators to impose that on other parents.
According to the report, parents of a set of premature twins were not allowed to see their newborns in the NICU. I was floored and livid on behalf of these parents. And for the parents and families of other people who had babies at the same time.
How is this fair to us “regular” people? How is that fair to parents who want to see their children or families who wanted to celebrate new additions to their broods? Especially when early bonding is so important. What if something happened to those premature twins and the parents weren’t there? What then? The birth of a child is the right of any person on the planet, celebrity or not.
I feel that if celebrities want that kind of security and privacy, they should pay to provide it. That being said, Beyonce and Jay-Z could have spent that $1 million dollars on creating a maternity ward on their property rather than in a public hospital used by everyone. Everyone deserves to have that special time with their babies as well as with family and friends. Shame on the administrators of Lenox Hill Hospital for allowing this kind of infringement on the rights of the everyday people who keep them running. A hospital should not allow this to happen simply because of money. Other celebrities have taken it upon themselves to get private rooms to give birth and I commend them for it.
Yes, protect your child. Yes, keep them safe. But, don’t do it at the expense of other families who want the same for their children. There are 7 billion people on this planet and fairness is something everyone deserves regardless of wealth, background, etc.
Update: After buzz from this original post, I received links further discussing these events. Please check them out.
OMG – if that is true about parents of babies who are in that hospital now not being let in that is awful! I do understand that celebrities want to protect their children, but there are plenty of other ways this could have been handled!
Robyn, I couldn’t believe it until I read the article on 1010 WINS. The hospital allowed this to happen and I think it’s incredibly unfair to the people who were denied access. I would have been livid if I was in that situation. I believe in fairness for everyone.
Some people just suck. Who do they think they are? Money does not increase your value, it simply means you have more money. Those twins were deprived of having their parents with them when they needed them most, and I have to believe there is a special place–that ain’t heaven–for people who think they are so much better that they can pay to get their own way. So sad to even think people like that exist.
Karen
Hi Karen, welcome to the site and thanks for your comment. i think that celebrities have a genuine set of problems simply because they are famous. And believe me, I wouldn’t want to be famous seeing all the drama they deal with like not being able to do the things I can do everyday. That being said, I also feel that being famous shouldn’t mean that the rights of others should be limited. That’s not fair. I do hope that the couple learn from this (as I do from my own mistakes) and try to do it better next time. Thanks again for stopping by and come back soon!
Heiddi
This kills me. Like kills me mad. Hot blood! While I understand heightened security measures were needed, this has gone way too far.
Hi Mommyfriend. I agree. I was upset when I heard about this on 1010 WINS. According to TMZ.com, the hospital is now denying that the couple paid that money and that other parents were not allowed in. Unbelievable. My heart goes out to every family affected by this.