In the news this week, a newborn was found in a ditch at around 6 a.m. naked buy still covered in bodily fluids. It was around 20 degrees here when this baby was found.
HOW does this happen?
The mother for lack of a better word has not come forward yet. The police are saying they are not interested in pressing charges at this time.
I don't understand for the life of me how someone can bring a life into this world and then just toss the child into a ditch...no blanket, no bath...nothing
Even if she were very very young, most 10-11 yo girls won't even put a pet out in this frigid weather...so how does one toss a baby out?
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Originally posted by LPN2Be2004
And i will rest a lot better this morning with this bit of knowledge. Thank you.
I am afraid that is not enough. As others mentioned, we encounter women who have aborted or plan to, in all kinds of nursing venues, ER, OB, ICU, Dr. clinics, GYN floors, State Health Dept's, School nursing, even med-surg floors. This is not enough. A person like this really should not be a nurse. I don't think there is a place for such hateful attitudes in nursing.
Specializes in Case Mgmt; Mat/Child, Critical Care.
Originally posted by SmilingBluEyes
I am afraid that is not enough. As others mentioned, we encounter women who have aborted or plan to, in all kinds of nursing venues, ER, OB, ICU, Dr. clinics, GYN floors, State Health Dept's, School nursing, even med-surg floors. This is not enough. A person like this really should not be a nurse. I don't think there is a place for such hateful attitudes in nursing.
True, true. The other thing that bothers me, if this guy is even for real, if he has this kind of angry judgemental attitude towards one group of people, imagine how he would be towards most of the population we treat and see as nurses. There's nothing like being a nurse to open your eyes to the realities of humanity and our downfalls.
I agree, this person has no place in nursing. If he displays this attitude w/his nursing instructors and preceptors (assuming he gets that far).... ....watch out!
Hi all, This is my first post on this group but I felt I needed to express my shock and horror of many of the nursing professions whom have registered their opinions about abortion. I'm pro-choice and I'm not crazy and I'm glad women have a choice.
For those who are against having abortions- where are you giving physical and emotional support to the families of poor children who don't have a stable roof over their heads or constant health care, nevermind life's little pleasures like summer camp or dance class. Those children have to be reminded of how they inconvinenced their parents every time, their parent takes them to the food bank, government hand-out or snowsuit exchange program. I remembered how I felt seeing a fifteen year old going to a second hand show looking for baby things and having no clue what a crib bumper was or thinking a baby wasn't that bad because it was cheap to buy for a baby, in a second hand shop. Also its not just for the poor who have abortions, its the middle and upper- class women who also get them. The higher educated women are the more likely, because they will have less children because they value themselves but realize they must feed/clothe/educate/shelter/nurture these offspring.... my god they underestand what it is to be a parent.
Personally, I feel a woman choosing an abortion is a better mother for not going through with a pregancy which is either unwanted or are willing to be unselfish enough to know they can not support a child. More importantly as a nurse I can only support pro-choice because any other opinion would offend others right to choose.
IMHO Adoption is only good for the churches, not for the child or the birth parent or the state. Children are expenive and we are least in Canada have a social net to provide support to our ailing population- they do not have to depend on having children to support them in their old age. To go back to adoption, I can say this for my family has gone through this and a few of my friends are adopted. I only know of two good adoption stories out of a dozen. Being "chosen" by adopted parents does not beat out being "discarded" by birth parents.
RPN. I don't know how to respond to your post. I disagree w/ it. I work in ob and would id myself as pro-life. i know of a number of adoption stories including family and personal friends where the outcome seems good, but I won't bore you w/ them. The idea that kids aren't happy because they don't attend dance class or camp is just not true in most cases.
I have lots of pro-choice friends including my best friend since 5th grade who has had 2 ab's and another close friend from nursing school who has had an ab. I don't agree w/ them or what they did, but it is their decision to make in the society that we live in today. My life would be a lot less full w/o them in it. I respect them and offerred them help but they chose to solve their problems as they did. It would've been worse for us if we'd have stopped being friends. I meet many pt's who do things I don't like or agree w/ or that I am uncomfortable w/, and I often feel angry at what they've done. In the vast majority of cases, once I meet them I begin to relate to them on a personal level and there's no anger towards them. I don't think I am saying this very well. While I agree dumping a live newborn by the roadside is horrible, I think it is very possible that the mother herself is hurting and desperate. Child could be a porduct of rape, incest, mother could've been forced to dump baby or have had it taken from by someone who wants to conceal the pregnancy. We don't know.
I guess what I am saying si. Strong opinions are one thing, but you have to separate yourself from them and do your job. Just because a pt. has done what you consider to be immoral doesn't mean that they are not deserving of your care and compassion in many cases. This may take a level of maturity or self control to be sure. You also have to know yourself. There is for example, a clinic at Johns Hokins for pedophiles, i just couldn't work there. The idea repulses me and I simply could not offer those pt's. objective care.
I agree that it is a shame that some people have no respect for life. It is a shame. I believe that this behavior has happened forever, and it is not a new thing related to our disposable times. My 12 year old son is reading about ancient Greece and is upset about how the Spartans would kill any baby that even looked ill. This still happens in some societies today...Look at China. Now we can pick and choose the sex of our baby and it's eye color etc, hell, it is like baby shopping. What are these people going to do if they don't get what they "ordered"? Hmmm I wonder. What kills me is that people think that only poor and uneducated people are having abortions when many rich treat it like birth control and go during their lunch hour like it is for a dental cleaning.
You asked how does this happen.......
These girls are scared. Plain and simple, most are not in their right mind at the time. I am not making an excuse for their behavior, far from it.
Look at how society looks at unwed mothers, especially the young.
We need to be more supportive after all, time to preach is NOT after the girl is pregnant. This is when she will need medical care and psychological care. She can then be encouraged to give the baby up for adoption.
I think there should be in EVERY state a law that mothers can drop off their babies, NO QUESTIONS ASKED. If they felt more comfortable with giving the baby away, there would be far less infanticide. But what happens when a mother DOES leave a baby in a safe place...the police et al are out looking for her. WTF!
You can't tell me that their only concern is for the mother and to make sure she is seeking medical help. BULL! They are out to judge her for "dumping" her child.
Many of these mothers are children themselves. They are scared.
I'm not sure I agree with the idea that pregnant teens are scared because of the stigma. There really is no stigma anymore to being a pregnant teenager. And lots of social service support.
Now they may be scared because of parental disapproval but I think that is even less so now than 30 years ago, in the time of "shotgun" weddings and sending your pregnant teen off to "boarding" school for a year while she has the baby and puts it up for adoption.
I also don't think it is fair to characterize pro-life people as people who just protest and don't help. There are thousands of pro-life people (and this does not just include "right-wing wacko Christians") who volunteer their time or money to organizations set up to help pregnant women. There are also many adoption organizations set up to help couples who cannot have children meet with women who have chosen to give their children up for adoption.
I'm pro-life and have helped and continue to help.
I also think saying that few adoptions work out well is just plain wrong. And that is also not a good argument for aborting instead of adopting.
And just a little thought about ADNRN . . . . . at the beginning of this thread we (I include myself because I was very angry) were pretty judgmental about this woman who abandoned her child and then told stories about many other women . . . .until Deb, in her usual loving way, reminded us that there are circumstances that we are unaware of and so to be careful of being judgmental. So to say that ADNRN is the only judgmental person here is not completely fair. I admit to judging this girl in the beginning. We also make comments about people needing licences to fish and not to parent. And "druggies" having babies. I am not sure of ADNRN's motives on the BB but to say that he is the only judgmental person is a tad hypocritical.
I also want to say, as someone else already mentioned, that anyone wanting to give up a child needs to pm me . . . my husband and I are looking into adoption.
RPN. I don't know how to respond to your post. I disagree w/ it. I work in ob and would id myself as pro-life. i know of a number of adoption stories including family and personal friends where the outcome seems good, but I won't bore you w/ them. The idea that kids aren't happy because they don't attend dance class or camp is just not true in most cases.
I have lots of pro-choice friends including my best friend since 5th grade who has had 2 ab's and another close friend from nursing school who has had an ab. I don't agree w/ them or what they did, but it is their decision to make in the society that we live in today. My life would be a lot less full w/o them in it. I respect them and offerred them help but they chose to solve their problems as they did. It would've been worse for us if we'd have stopped being friends. I meet many pt's who do things I don't like or agree w/ or that I am uncomfortable w/, and I often feel angry at what they've done. In the vast majority of cases, once I meet them I begin to relate to them on a personal level and there's no anger towards them. I don't think I am saying this very well. While I agree dumping a live newborn by the roadside is horrible, I think it is very possible that the mother herself is hurting and desperate. Child could be a porduct of rape, incest, mother could've been forced to dump baby or have had it taken from by someone who wants to conceal the pregnancy. We don't know.
I guess what I am saying si. Strong opinions are one thing, but you have to separate yourself from them and do your job. Just because a pt. has done what you consider to be immoral doesn't mean that they are not deserving of your care and compassion in many cases. This may take a level of maturity or self control to be sure. You also have to know yourself. There is for example, a clinic at Johns Hokins for pedophiles, i just couldn't work there. The idea repulses me and I simply could not offer those pt's. objective care.
Great post. I am pro-choice, and I find your view as a pro-life person very refreshing and one that I can respect.
There was a story here recently about a mother who left her (very resourceful it turned out) 2 year old alone in the apartment when she left. She wound up getting arrested and going to jail while she was out. She told no one of her daughter home alone. Neighbors heard the TV blaring day and night for days on end but thought nothing of it. The father of the child eventually went to investigate after nearly 3 weeks and found the little girl alive, sitting in a plastic bathtub in front of the TV. She had eaten ketchup and dry pasta to survive, and gotten water out of the bathroom (they didn't say but toilet probably).
What an amazing little girl. She ought to grow up to be President!
It seems the common thread in these stories is that people noticed SOMETHING was odd but did not act. Of course we are all mandatory reporters but I think if we spent the effort we do in the media covering one of these horrific cases- in educating regular people to use their senses to spot trouble, and trying to reach at-risk pregnant women where they live (because not everybody who is desperate is going to stop to remember that they can drop the baby off at the Fire Station) Most places have those "Safe Haven" laws, but I think something like a hotline would work better maybe, more anonymous? A catchy 800 number that you could advertise on billboards, buses, etc. It would have to be easy to remember so it would be handy when the moment came. Then a "civilian" volunteer could pick up baby, or direct Mom to help as the situation warranted.
I've wanted to do something about this for a long time, I just don't know what.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
NO NOT YOU.
it was individual who basically inferred that people who have abortions are "psychotic".
and it was a while ago.
I respect ANTI-abortion views as a pro-choice person. BUT I do NOT respect name-calling and intolerance. I think those will serve this person poorly in his/her future nursing career.
....watch out!
Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN
12,126 Posts
And i will rest a lot better this morning with this bit of knowledge. Thank you.