I was just watching out local news and there was a feature on babies being abandoned in hospitals in Oregon and Washington after a baby was abandoned in a Vancouver Wa Hospital. (short brief: http://www.katu.com/stories/86970.html ). The infant is fine thank goodness!!!
I didn't know this but I guess it is legal to abandon your baby in a hospital or fire station within a certain period of time in the two states. Washington state it is 72 hours after birth, Oregon it is 30 days. I had no idea about that law!!! So this woman will not get punishment or repremand for doing this. The article did say that if there were signs of abuse, that a parent then is held responsible and will face an abuse charge.
They said that the child will be a toddler before she would be able for adoption because of the process of trying to find a family member who may want her (the woman left a fake name so it is hard to find her or family)...and other things the state must do.
That seems so sad for this infant, however...maybe living with the mother would be far worse?
Do you think it should remain legal to abandon your infant at a hospital or fire station?
Why would anyone oppose this type of law? There have been several cases in the upper midwest of teenagers giving birth to babies and the babies have died for whatever reason. (abandoonment, drowning etc). The mother ends up in prison, the baby has died and 2 lives have been lost. If just one of these cases is prevented through this law society has won.
I don't pretend to know the reasons for child abandonment (abusive home environments, mental health issues, immaturity, fear, hopelessness or ?) but I really think that each case that happens should make everyone look in the mirror and ask themselves "What could I do to prevent this type of situation."
but, that's a good thing. a new mom that would abandon a baby obviously doesn't want anyone to know about it.
how would it be fair to that potential dad to summarily adopt that child out without at least informing him of his rights and/or the existence of the child?
a good faith effort to locate him is at least in order.
but it does take a backseat to protecting that child from an impulsive act of a scared person.
~faith,
timothy.
yes, i agree w/you the dad deserves to have his legal rights protected concerning his baby.
Unfortunately, I think it's sometimes hard for a scared new mom, no matter how young or how old she is, to get to a hospital/fire station/police station. We have had babies abandoned in small communities, where the mom probably has no way of getting to a place like that. Also, I don't think a mom that leaves a baby in the middle of the night wants anyone to know about it, which is difficult in a small town. I'm just glad that the babies we have seen have been left in a place where they would be found quickly.
There were so many dumped babies, that in 1869 a Foundling home was opened in New York City, that took in orphans and abandoned babies. They had a crib outside, people would ring the doorbell, and leave their babies in the crib if they couldn't hand it to the nun who would answer the door. My ex-husbands grandfather was left there at 15 months of age. All the information that was given was his name and birthdate. Even though the man who left him said he would come back, no-one did. As a small child he was put on a train with many other orphans, headed to the Mid-west to find a home.
Outlaw family planning, and this is the result. If you deny a women access to sex education; to the pill or the morning after pill; then refuse her an abortion, what other choice do you leave someone who is poor, young and/or scared?
In some states there is a law called "Safe Haven". Name/title varies_
Think of it this way, a 14 yo girl gives birth in a public restroom and decides that she cannot bring her baby home. She a) drowns the baby, b)places the infant in a garbage can c) drops the baby at a hospital, police station etc.
I hope she goes for choice c.
Agreed! Better than killing/dumping the baby. Who knows what trouble some (not all) 14 y/o's would be in if they brought their baby home and their parents found out they were pregnant and didn't say anything.
I also think the time should be extended a little past 3 days or whatever it is to be allowed to do that. (mabe extend it to two weeks?) Sometimes severe sleep deprivation does not set in until the baby is about 2 weeks old. Then some babies get colicy... I would think thats when a lot of very young unsupported mothers would begin to loose it and become abusive. (Once the newness wears off and reality sets in)
Legal in Alabama, and I'm fine with it. Mothers who, for whatever reason, can't handle caring for a child are provided with a safe place to leave the infant. It's not about punishing or not punishing 'bad' mothers, it's about keeping babies safe.
in the state that i live in, we have "safe haven" as well. i am with the other posters who support this law 1000%. it gives these parents a safe alternative to turn to when they are desperate, rather than trying to "dispose" of the infant. the reasons for feeling the need to get rid of the child may not always be the mother's fault. when i was in college, a girl in the same dorm that i lived in had a baby and wrapped it in trash bags and threw it in the trash room. it was found dead by the janitor.
Specializes in Happily semi-retired; excited for the whole whammy.
Frankly, if the choice here is between killing your child because, for whatever reason, you see that as a viable alternative or placing them in a safe haven, I'll go with the safe haven every time. No matter the age of the child. I bet the relatives of Andrea Yates, or those poor children whose mother throw them into the San Francisco Bay, or those precious little ones that Susan Smith drove into the lake would agree.
It absolutely should be legal and thank goodness for it, especially if there is a choice of the baby being abandoned to die a horrible death or being murdered outright. Unfortunately, they still find babies in dumpsters perhaps because those responsible don't know about the law.
I live in a small town in Ohio where we have the safe haven law in place, just recently we had a young girl give birth to what she said was a still born child and left it in the woods for dead. Wild dogs found the baby and left it in a neighboring backyard where several young children playing in the yard found its mutilated body. That is not something I want my children to find. I think they law is needed to protect the children.
They can also leave them at firehouses.
HM2VikingRN, RN
4,700 Posts
Why would anyone oppose this type of law? There have been several cases in the upper midwest of teenagers giving birth to babies and the babies have died for whatever reason. (abandoonment, drowning etc). The mother ends up in prison, the baby has died and 2 lives have been lost. If just one of these cases is prevented through this law society has won.
I don't pretend to know the reasons for child abandonment (abusive home environments, mental health issues, immaturity, fear, hopelessness or ?) but I really think that each case that happens should make everyone look in the mirror and ask themselves "What could I do to prevent this type of situation."