If you could only save one person, would you save a mother or her child?

[ladsin]

I'm re-reading a manga and this was an issue in it, so I thought I'd extend it to y'all.

Mother

Child

Updates

+1 y

And why?

[LegateLanius]

The mother.
People can argue that the baby might grow up to be an Einstein. To them I'd say that the mother can become like the very same thing. The probability of that child becoming an Einstein is just about the same as the probability of that child becoming a Hitler.

Arguably, the child has more years left than the mother. I agree. But instead of a motherless child with a wife-less father, give it a little time and patience and you can have a flourishing family with not just one but several happy children; children who will get to see their mother and father, not only alive but also happy and together. Why kill the goose that can lay the golden egg for one egg?

[FriendlyDrugDealer]

I would try to save both because I don’t like being told what to do but in all seriousness, I would look at the Mom and she would probably instruct me to save her child because of her maternal instincts.

So I would save the kid first then rush to try to save the mom if I can too once I know the kid is safe

[ladsin]

You can't. Decisions need to be made in life. Either you save one or both die.

[FriendlyDrugDealer]

Yeah I understand that but when life tries to only give you two shitty options, I try to think of another way just to be sure before I make a decision I have to live with

[QuinzelH]

She will probably never forgive me for not saving her child instead of her.
"A wife who loses a husband is called a widow.
A husband who loses a wife is called a widower.
A child who loses his parents is called an orphan.
There is no word for a parent who loses a child.
That's how awful the loss is." _ Jay Neugeboren (An Orphan's tale).

[ladsin]

So which would you pick? That quote seems to contrast with your original comment...

[QuinzelH]

THE CHILD! I WOULD SAVE THE CHILD LADSIN!

[Tidius]

The quote does not contrast. It means that there is no word for a parent who loses his child because it's a really bad pain. So if you save the mother, that would mean that you will make that pain happen and if you save the child, the pain of the mother losing her child, wouldn't happen.

[QuinzelH]

@Tidius I salute you sir!

[ladsin]

@Tidius Umm, the implication is that it's worse for a parent to lose a child than for a child to lose a parent (as that is the expectation)

[sodaslut]

YIKES NONE because the one that i saved will end up hating me for not saving the other and i ain't about that life

but to me, i think the mother would be a better choice. firstly, what if she had other kids? where are they gonna get mama's love? and the kid in the water is gonna he traumatised for life.

[vishna]

If the woman is a stranger-In any case, I would go to save the child because if that mother lived and her child died, I'd feel horrible for the rest of my life and so would she.

In regards to a pregnant woman-if I was a man, I would try to save my wife's life over the baby.

[Namkrow]

The mother. Assuming there was time or they were close enough together, ensuring the mother's safety increases by one the number of people able to attempt to save the child. Furthermore, the woman could have more children, whereas the child could be orphaned by the turn of events and it's a longer time to live with the trauma, which said child may not be able to develop appropriate, healthy coping mechanisms to process what happened and move on after the fact. Further still, assuming the mother bounced back from the experience, with or without help, she, being an adult, is a greater asset to society, being able to work and, where possible, vote.

[Lia-chan]

Child, because I'm sure the mom will beg me to save her child.
I'll take care of the child if he will remain with no siblings.
A mother won't be able to live knowing that her child would have been alive if not for her.
The child didn't live his life yet.
While his mom had a purpose on earth- giving life to him, the child didn't manage to do anything like that

[ladsin]

Is a woman's only purpose in life to give birth? Is that really the only value that you think you have as a woman? I realize that this is a separate question, but this is a very strange belief, and I'd like to know how you justify it, and to what extent.

[Lia-chan]

I don't think a woman's purpose is just to give birth. Not at all.
What I mean is that the mom managed to do something in her life: create a family, live happy moments and give birth to a child.
On the other hand, the child didn't manage to do any of those.
He didn't live his life yet.
He has the right to experience life as well, life in all her ups and downs.

[Muhfucah]

@ladsin it's a man's purpose to spread his seed and continue his bloodline same goes for a female in my opinion. We're here to procreate.

[ladsin]

@Muhfucah Strange. You think that your purpose in life is to be a baby incubator?

[Muhfucah]

I'm saying that humans are like a virus.. we're meant to spread.

[ladsin]

@Muhfucah I'm sorry you have such a limited view of yourself.

[eor324]

I would most certainly save the child. No mother, or no good mother, would be okay living without her child. It's not natural for a mother to outlive her child. I would want my child to be saved & in the case I was chosen over my child I would want to die and probably die of heartbreak anyway. The child still has a full life ahead of them!

[SnowWhite13]

The mother.

Once the mother is saved, you now have one more adult who can possibly help you rescue the child. Same reason that on airplanes, they tell you to put on your mask before you put the mask on your child. If you’re unconscious, you can’t save the kid and then you’re both screwed. So I’d save the mother first in hopes of getting some help saving the child, since I’m unable to do it alone.

[Intraluminal]

It depends on a number of factors, including the health of the mother and the child. The likelihood of the child's survival without the mother, the mothers and father's wishes (if known), etc.

For instance, we're on a desert island, the mother has another unweaned baby. Saving the child dooms the mother, the child, and the unweaned baby. Saving the mother saves the mother and the unweaned child, but dooms the other child.

[ladsin]

I appreciate the scrutiny, but the idea is meant to be more general, or hypothetical.

In this particular manga a torturer was forcing his victim to choose which person to save. If he refused to choose he'd kill both. Dramatically when the character finally chose to save the child he massacred the child first to break his victim.

[Amanda__Murphy]

The child. Bit of a twist on some people’s answers because the child hasn’t lived a life yet and I think the mother would want their child to live a life like the mother got to.

[Andre__]

Save the child.
If you save the mother she most likely will tell you that you should have saved her child.

[Muhfucah]

Child because I would murder whoever chose me over my daughter and then three lives would be gone.

[snowangle]

I'd save the child. Most likely, that's what the mother would want me to do.

[Juxtapose]

The mother, because she is a more developed human with more connections. Plus, almost nobody gives respect to older folks in these situations.

[ROLLINTWINTURBO-]

I'd actually save my brother the night he died because my life is so much different without him here... my parents have their struggles with it but I'm no different from them... death sucks... period... and losing a brother... its worse!!

Overall I'd save them all if i could... becuz life is hard when you lose major parts of it...

[Theashkingnew]

The mother has already seen much more of the world.. The child deserves to experience the beautiful world around. Although i dont want anyone of them to die

[sarisadi1]

If u save the mother she can always get a new kid and forget about the old one. A new kid will grow having the thought of him losing his mom and being alone with no support.

[dancing_in_nebulas]

Child 100% its what the mother would want.

I would also compromise my resistance to mothering children, adopt it and raise it for the dead mother.

[Phoenix98]

I'd like to think that any parent if put in a situation like that would rather have their child saved then themselves. I know if it was between me or my kid I'd have my own child saved.

[Udbhav_Bantwal]

I wouldn't save either... They wouldn't want to live without each other so if I save either one of them, they would live the rest of their life with sadness...

[lurikatia]

Im small and I don't know how to swim... if i learn how to swim... just the child... the mother would be too heavy for me to carry xD

[Nick-1999]

The look to the numbers : safe 40 years for someone or their whoke lifetime. An addition to this that is that every mother would blame herself if her child would die.

[Salsacumbia]

No child should go in a bad way and suffer. I think anyway.

[ladsin]

So which would you pick to survive?

[redhoodttt]

The answer is easy. Because the mother would want me to do the same. A loving motter puts her child always first. Besides, if you save the child, you will give her the chance to live some years, the mother already had her life