baby hatches-- SAFE PlaceS TO LEAVE A BABY

[dogsbody70]

Originally Posted by RobinMask

Err, I'm sure John can reply too, but as it was actually my quote I'll throw in a reply myself. . .

I understand that a parent can be desperate. There will probably be one or two parents who see it as their only option, who think that they have no other choice, but personally - even in that case - I still think it's neglect, abandonment and selfish (except in exceptional cases such as post-natal depression). A woman has dozens of contraceptive options avaliable to her, she has emergency contraception avaliable to her, there is also abortion (to those who believe in it), and adoption (to those that don't), and above all that there is the courage to turn to people for help and say 'I can't deal with this, please help me'. If - for whatever reason - a woman somehow ends up with a baby, despite all of that, and can't cope. . . there is still no excuse for abandonning it in such a manner.

One can give the child for adoption, or personally hand it to an authority figure, merely dropping it into a hatch and walking away shows indifference and disinterest. It's no different to me dropping off old clothes at a second-hand store and never giving it a second-thought. That child will never have the option of knowing where it came from, who its parents were, what it may have inheritted biologically, or why it was given away. If a mother can do that to a child, without even making sure that it's safe and taken care of, then personally I think it's dispicable.

Likewise the system doesn't account for the mothers who are sick or depressed and will then never be able to find that child again or get it back, or at least not without one hell of a fight. If that baby was put into adoption or foster care, then the sick mother - when well again - could get her child back and raise it, with little regrets. If it's annonymously 'dropped' then that poor woman will never have that chance.

Interesting last comment ROBINpp forgive me if I got the wrong ID. I am hopeless at separating QUOTES. Need some help with that really

Well actually many women stil ldo lose their child when they are sick or on drugs or social services believe their child or children will be at risk. It Happens here A LOT.

The family courts are usually held in secret. so many parents are on drugs these days-- so if there is a risk that they will never get off drugs-- or recover often a child who is temporarily fostered-- will eventually be taken for adoption. The risk factor being taken into account. some social workers remove a child immediately the mother has given birth-- Here in this country this happens.


I think when there is real genuine fear that a child will be abused when returned to its parent-- then the decision is made in the family courts.

too often fostered children Are returned to their Home but are abused when they are there.

[RobinMask]

Post Deleted.

[dogsbody70]

sometimes we hear of abandoned babies here in UK-- quite often outside hospitals. They always make efforts to trace the baby's mother and to know that she is safe and all right.

surely much must depend on where the mother is living when her child is born.

[RobinMask]

Post Deleted.

[dogsbody70]

Originally Posted by RobinMask

That's very true, but there's no way of knowing if every mother who gives up her child in such a manner is an abuser, and being sick or on drugs or mentally ill isn't in the same league as abuse. If someone is on drugs they can get clean, if someone is sick they can get better, and if someone is depressed they can become well again - if someone can prove that they are capable of looking after their child, typically that child is returned. Abuse in an exception, but not all of these mothers are abusers. Like I said, there is always that possibility with fostering or adoption the child can be returnoed, but it is not even a possibility with baby hatches.

I don' tknow if the adoption law has changed as far as a child that has been adopted-- can still have access to his or her own mother. certainly usually that was NOt the case. would the adoptive parents be agreeable I wonder.?

[dogsbody70]

Originally Posted by JohnBraden

I would say it is DESPERATION John. surely you don't think a mother will do that easily?

Well, these pregnancies happen because the kids having sex, and they ARE kids, don't know what the repercussions to "getting laid" are and don't use protection, etc. There are so many women here who have kids from several men that it sickens me that I'm paying into their welfare checks because they don't know any better.
When one is young and doesn't know the repercussions, they get rid of them like an unwanted toy, totally desensitizing them in the future...(the women, I mean to say)

I'd have to say that in China, things are so much worse.... Dumping girls (are girls so cute?!) in the trash to die because of the "one child rule". They want boys, not girls. That's why most of the adoptions in China are girls. I know the government has cracked down on this practice of getting pregnant until they have a boy, discarding the unwanted girls. I'm sure it still happens quite a bit in the more rural areas of China...
I must emphasize here, in no way am I condoning these courses of action....[/quote]





Yes the way chinese female baby's were discarded or left to die in orphanages was/is? so barbaric.


That film I saw a few years ago was really sickening. I pray it does not still happen.


but we see orphanages in some countries that are truly terrible. Ps please forgive my lack of quoting sections from previous posters messages.

I simply cannot get the hang of it.

[RobinMask]

Post Deleted.

[Jeshire]

Whilst I don't agree with it, I think if people are gunna do it, might as well have a safe place for the children to go to.
I agree, though.
We are not in the medieval times anymore.

[Umihito]

Originally Posted by RobinMask

I think baby hatches are illegal in the UK, as far as I know too there's no such thing. I have to say though - having heard these stories as well - that baby hatches wouldn't solve anything, these mothers could have easily left their babies in a hospital, police station or public place - those who choose to leave them in bins or in isolated areas would probably continue to do so, even if we had baby hatches, considering they're doing it despite alternatives.

Also my point on post-natal depression was that it might inspire a mother to give up her child who in her right mind wouldn't - if she left it in a baby-hatch there would likely be no way of getting the child back when she returned to health, which is awful and unfair. At least with other options there is the possibility a child can be returned to its mother when she is back to full health.

Yeah, but I think the whole reason they don't usually leave them in those places is because of the risk of someone seeing them, then they think everyone will find out or go to prison etc. Plus they're probably aware that those kinds of places are covered in CCTV.

Well maybe if there was a rule like 'the baby must be kept available to the mother only up until 'X' amount of time after the drop off' then it may be able to work like that...

[dogsbody70]

Originally Posted by RobinMask

To my knowledge there is open adoption and closed adoption. In open adoption the child can have limited access to its biological parents, in closed adoption there is none.

What I referred to though was that when a person is not 'in the right frame of mind' mentally then any contracts signed aren't valid at the time, because they aren't mentally capable of making choices. So if someone gave their child away and regretted it, being that they weren't mentally well at the time, then there is a chance of getting the child back into their custody, because the adoption isn't valid (I'll try to find some legal examples later).

I believe there is a time limit for this.