Touching A Pregnant Belly Is Now Awesomely Illegal In Pennsylvania

When strangers touch your pregnant belly without your permission – it’s totally weird. Now in Pennsylvania – it’s also illegal.

“Essentially, someone had touched a pregnant woman’s belly. That’s very common that pregnant women have to go through. The only problem is when you harass, annoy, alarm in the act of touching, then it’s a violation, a harassment charge,” said attorney Phil DiLucente.

DiLucente said this particular harassment law has always been on the books.

“Simply stated, it’s always been the law. It always will be the law,”DiLucente said.

I can’t believe this has to be a law. You don’t just go around touching people you don’t know. Every one has a legal right to have their body left alone by others, don’t they?

One day during my first pregnancy, I was minding my own business, making a Kit Kat run. I walked into my corner bodega and a woman came up to me, cradled my belly and said, This is definitely a girl! You are so blessed. I remember thinking, Really? That is amazing. I went through a really uncomfortable ultrasound that required weird gels, emptying of the bladder and a paper robe. No one told me that going to the 7- Eleven and finding the woman with the least boundaries in the place would be just as effective. Thanks. I’ll remember that for number two. Also – it’s a boy.

I’m making jokes as usual, but that’s how I deal with life. I was actually really uncomfortable. I was very pregnant; one of her hands was basically right under my breast and the other was disturbingly close to my vagina. It was fucking weird. People tend to laugh these experiences off and think that they’re harmless – but they’re not. If I had some boundary or abuse issues I would have felt really violated. Not cool.

If this has to actually be a law to get strangers to stop doing it – so be it.

(photo: Yana Godenko/ Shutterstock)