tattling

[glowbelly]

there's a girl in my apartment complex who is 7 weeks pregnant. her boyfriend SUPPOSEDLY beats up on her. i don't know this as fact. i only know what a neighbor has told me. through conversations with her, i have found out what hospital she is going to for her prenatal care. should i call the hospital anonymously and tell them to watch for signs of abuse when it comes to her?

is there any other way that i can inform the proper people to watch out for this young lady?

my gut is telling me to just make a call, but i'm not sure how much good it will do. i would love to be her friend and help her through some stuff, but in about 2 months i'm going to be very busy with a little boy.

suggestions?

[Immortal Goat]

I would call. Hospitals are pretty good at spotting that kind of stuff, but a nudge in the right direction could help them notice it before it is too late. Hopefully, it is just a sick rumor, but if it isn't, I would want to take steps to make sure that you aren't the only happy mother this year.

[mburbank]

What's your take on the neighbor that told you?

While I'm not at all against calling the hospital if you think something may be going on, I have seen allegations like this, and calls to DSS used as a form of warfare between neighbors who don't like each other. I hate to say that, but my wife (who is a mandated reporter) see it a lot.

If you become friendly with her, you'll see signs. The folks at the Hospital are mandated reporters too, and they will be aware of signs even if you don't call them, and may be fairly leary of anonymous tips for the very reason I was speaking of before.

It is way harder to get an abused partner to separate from her abuser than it should be, and only they can do it. If you do end up getting to know her better and you think she is getting hit, you could simply let her know there are places that would help her and give her the number of whatever group works with battered women. Be careful, though. This kind of shit can be very dicey.