I must admit, I’m hooked on the television series The Pitt. While binge-watching the latest season, one storyline stopped me cold. A woman in cardiac arrest is rushed into the ER. In the chaos, we see her clutching her chest. Her EKG briefly appears normal but then her heart stops.

The physicians are puzzled. What happened?

The answer is both simple and unsettling. The paramedics had placed the EKG leads too low on her chest, resulting in an inaccurate reading. Why? They were uncomfortable moving her breasts to position the leads correctly.

That moment isn’t just good television, it reflects a troubling cultural reality.

Research, including studies from Duke University, show that women who experience cardiac arrest in public are less likely to receive bystander CPR than men. That gap has real consequences for survival. The question is why?

Part of the answer is fear. In today’s climate, people worry about touching a woman’s chest, even in a life-or-death situation. The concern about being accused of inappropriate behavior or sexual misconduct can override the urgency to act. The unintended consequence? People hesitate, step back, or worse, they pull out their phones and record instead of helping.

Another factor is the persistence of harmful stereotypes. Women are often perceived as overly emotional or prone to exaggeration. Historically, the label of “hysteria” was used to dismiss women’s physical and psychological symptoms. Although we’ve come a long way, traces of that thinking remain. When a woman reports pain or distress, it is still more likely to be minimized or misinterpreted.

This is particularly dangerous when it comes to heart disease. Many still associate heart attacks primarily with men, yet more than 60 million women in the United States are living with some form of heart disease, according to the CDC. Women often present with different symptoms, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, back or jaw pain, which can make recognition even more challenging.

When you combine fear, bias, and misunderstanding, the results can be deadly.

We also must consider the bystander effect. This is the tendency for people to avoid intervening in emergencies, especially when others are present. Today, that hesitation is amplified by a culture of constant recording. Instead of stepping in, people document. Instead of acting, they watch.

But this is not who we are called to be.

We need more upstanders—people who are willing to step into uncomfortable, uncertain moments and do what is right. Yes, fear is real. But it should not be the deciding factor when someone’s life is at stake. Scripture reminds us that we are not given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. That means we can respond with courage, clarity, and compassion.

So the next time you find yourself in a moment of crisis, pause, don’t freeze. Ask for wisdom. Then act.

Put the phone down. Step forward. Do what is needed.

A life may depend on it.