Some people say this part of pregnancy is just accepted. Others say it's illegal.

I’ve always been fascinated by those women who go to the loo and just, you know, unexpectedly HAVE A FREAKING BABY. Fascinated and envious.

Despite the fact that I always ended up looking as though I had an oddly shaped basketball protruding from my frontal area at full term, I was also always given a good, oh, 10-hour advance warning that I was about to participate in something rather extreme.

My favourite part of being pregnant was the public commentary that I was subjected to (a sarcasm font would be really handy right now). Not that anyone was mean – they were just, well, upfront. For instance, when I was pregnant with my second child, my mother exclaimed that, “Oh you must be having a girl because your arse is HUGE”.

Yeah, those kind of observations are always (never) welcome.

So too the belly rubs. I mean, personally, it rarely bothered me but this may be because it was always invited or from someone that I knew well. It was such a lovely thing to have someone you know, feel the baby kick. I’m getting clucky just writing that sentence.

I have to admit here though that I was never approached by a stranger on the street who uninvited, just felt that they could touch my pregnant belly. I’m not entirely sure what my reaction would have been had they. I was relatively young when I was first pregnant and if I were to admit it, I always felt a little bit special during these times. People were kinder, they would strike up a conversation with me, just give me a knowing smile. It was a serene time in many ways.

Yet not everyone feels this way, in fact, in the States, the “harmless” belly rub has taken a decidedly horrible and absurd, turn for the worse.

Fifty-seven-year-old Richard J. Beishline reportedly hugged his pregnant neighbour and then reached out and rubbed her pregnant belly. She immediately pushed him away and later filed charges of harassment.

If Beishline pleads guilty, he will probably have to pay a fine. However, if he pleads Not Guilty, there will be more formal court proceedings. As Pennsylvanian police have never seen any of their harassment laws used in this type of context, they are unsure of a likely outcome.

What are the rules?

“Many women’s groups have spoken out against the actions of this man. Just because they are pregnant does not mean that there is an automatic invitation to touch them. Some women even feel that if people ask to touch their stomach it is still offensive. Of course, no woman expects for anyone to just walk up to her and start touching her.

When this issue was first brought to the attention of the media, experts began to weigh in on the situation. The experts said that there is a societal value that says that women’s bodies are always available. When this value is observed in this kind of situation, it could be seen by many people as something that is not a very big deal. But, it is still a violation of personal space that should not be crossed unless permission is given. Women on social media also responded to the story saying that they felt like objects while they were pregnant.”

Here’s the thing though, yes we all have different limits we decree as our own personal space. Some feel violated if their pregnant belly is touched, others welcome and love it.

Yet the thing is, I believe, it should ALWAYS be an invited gesture. In the last year I have worked with two ladies that have had babies and they have taken my hand and placed it upon their tummies when the baby was kicking. I found this both beautiful and also an incredible privilege. Sure, if some random guy on the street just started running his hand over a pregnant woman’s  stomach, this is clearly wrong, but for a friend, a neighbour who you have invited over to your home, as  gesture, does this, is a lawsuit necessary? Would not a simple ‘I really don’t like you doing that, please stop’ not have sufficed?

So where do you stand? What are the rules for touching a pregnant woman’s belly? Is it allowed at all?