Stupid Laws

A friend of mine yesterday described a somewhat sad scene of a new mother taking home a newborn on a city bus (the presence on the bus wasn't the only thing which made it a sad scene). I asked if the child was being carried in a child car seat, and she thought and realized the answer was yes. I haven't figured out of this is explicit in PA law or if it is just how hospitals have universally interpreted their responsibilities given the general car seat requirements, but in any case hospitals require proof of possession of a car seat as a condition of discharge for mother/newborn. In Philadelphia, this is pretty silly as lots of people don't actually own cars and wouldn't necessarily travel from the hospital in one.