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Thursday, May 17, 2007

Unwanted Baby Drop Box - This is for Real!


http://www-cgi.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/05/10/japan.babybox.ap/index.html

This is truly one of the strangest - and to be quite honest, innovative - practices I have read about in a long time. Around the world there are hospitals that allows people to drop off unwanted babies in an anonymous "drop box." These baby drop offs exist in Japan, Germany and South Africa.

"In Japan the baby drop-off, is called 'Crane's Cradle,' was opened by the Catholic-run Jikei Hospital in the southern city of Kumamoto as a way to discourage abortions and the abandonment of infants in unsafe public places. The hospital described it as a parent's last resort.'"

"A small hatch on the side of the hospital allows people to drop off babies in an incubator 24 hours a day, while an alarm will notify hospital staff of the new arrival. The infants will initially be cared for by the hospital and then put up for adoption."

"'We started the service but hope it won't be used,' head nurse Yukiko Tajiri said. "I hope it is seen as a symbol that we are always here for parents to share their difficulty.'"

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

In the United States (including in California) there are safe haven laws which allow you to drop off your unwanted baby at any fire station, hospital, etc. without fear of prosecution.

For more info:
http://www.wikihow.com/Drop-Off-an-Unwanted-Baby