Blind Love

Read the Recap | See the Photos

Pete and Amelia Argue Over a Blind Mother's Ability to Take Care of her Child
By Noah Evslin, Researcher

In Episode 413, "Blind Love," Amelia and Pete treat a vet, Lizzie, who has been left nearly blind after an explosion. Sadly, her boyfriend died in the same explosion.

Worse, Lizzy was a few months pregnant when it took place. Now she has a newborn and is hopeful she can get her vision back.

Amelia thinks she can fix the blindness in Lizzy's left eye by removing the shrapnel left in her head. But before the operation, serious questions about Lizzie's ability to be a parent come to light. Lizzie nearly suffocates her baby while trying to nurse it.

While Pete and Amelia are divided over whether or not Lizzie's disability will prevent her from being a good mother, Janet, her baby's grandmother, shows up trying to take the baby.

So now, Pete and Amelia are caught between an able-bodied caregiver who is ready to take the baby and a nearly blind mother who can barely breast-feed her infant.

Amelia does the surgery, but sadly, it does not work well enough to restore vision to Lizzy. Pete, believing that Lizzie deserves to be a mother, no matter what her disability, tries to lie to Amelia to get Lizzie discharged with her child.

But Amelia figures out that Lizzie can't see and everyone has to come clean. Pete finally convinces both women—who love the baby—to raise the child together.

But was this the right decision? Lizzie nearly killed her child. Should she really be left alone with her baby?

On the other side, we can't just take children away because their parents are disabled. Parents who aren't at full capacity need support not condemnation. And even able-bodied parents make mistakes everyday. What makes a good mother—love or vision?

If you were in Pete and Amelia's shoes—what would YOU do?