I’m 34 years old, and I flew home from a work trip yesterday. It was a six-hour travel on a budget carrier with virtually little legroom. I paid extra to secure an aisle seat to maximize space for my 6’3″ frame. Unfortunately, the flight was delayed for two hours, and by the time we boarded, I was completely fatigued. I had worked an all-nighter to finish a presentation for a significant client meeting that morning, which had fortunately gone well. But by the time I boarded, I was utterly exhausted.

As soon as the seatbelt sign switched off, I leaned sharply back in my seat, hoping to catch some much-needed slumber. I did not look behind me first. Almost soon, the woman seated behind me, who I subsequently discovered was pregnant, exclaimed, “I can’t breathe!” I was astonished, but I was honestly too exhausted to deal with it. Frustrated, I responded, “Then fly first class!” She did not respond after that.

The person next to me gave me an odd look, but I ignored it, put on my noise-cancelling headphones, and fell asleep for the majority of the flight. I didn’t think much about it until we landed. As we deplaned, a flight attendant approached me gently and said, “Sir, there’s something you might want to read.” She gave me a note from the woman behind me. She said that she was eight months pregnant and that the rapid shift of my seat had pressed against her abdomen, causing pain and difficulties breathing.

She explained that she was flying to see her terminally ill mother one more time before giving birth and could not afford a more expensive seat. Now I am torn. My wife claims I was mistaken and should have been more mindful of others around me. She has been furious with me since I arrived home and says I must find a way to make amends. But my brother disagrees—he argues that if the seat is meant to recline, I have every right to utilize it.

He also believes the woman overreacted and should have approached me quietly rather than yelling. I keep going back and forth over this. Was it unreasonable for me to recline my seat without checking first, especially given how weary I was? Or was I simply taking use of a regular feature that I was entitled to as a passenger? I can’t get her comments, or her position, out of my mind. So, was it wrong for me to recline my seat if it ended up injuring someone else? Was I justified, even if the outcome was unfortunate?