Love Bites

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If Your Estranged Spouse Attempts Suicide, Do You Have a Responsibility to Reunite?
By Moira McMahon, Researcher

In Episode 314, Love Bites, Addison's 33-week pregnant patient, Lauren, is found nearly dead in the Santa Monica Bay. They deliver the baby, premature, but alive.

Lauren isn't doing well. The stress from the near drowning has turned a benign heart defect into a life-threatening situation. She needs heart surgery so she can live. The problem is, she doesn't want it.

Addison and Sam discover that Lauren's near drowning was not an accident. She wanted to commit suicide, but failed. Now she's at St. Ambrose, heartbroken because her husband left her. Overwhelmed with despair, Lauren made a terrible decision. If she's still suicidal, she's a bad candidate for open-heart surgery. She's not mentally fit for such a huge stress on her system. Sam wants her to want to live before he'll operate.

Addison goes to Michael, Lauren's estranged husband, in the hope that he will support his wife through this surgery. But he totally shuts Addison down! He's not willing to come to the hospital. He tried for a long time to make his wife see that the relationship is over. She wouldn't listen. Finally, he just had to leave. He says if he goes back now, he'll just leave again. Then she'll just do the same thing.

Addison finally convinces Lauren to fight for her life. Her baby fought to live and she should too. Yes, her husband is gone. She can't have the man that she wants, so life will be different. A different life—but still a good life. Lauren consents to the surgery.

Addison was able to turn her around, but was Michael being selfish or honest by refusing to temporarily stand by the mother of his own child?

If Michael had reunited with Lauren briefly until she was stable—and then left her later—would have done more harm than good?

What do YOU think?