Would you dump this newborn by a dumpster?

[Catherine Vincent]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3291784
Well, someone did in Houston and they haven't found who the parents are. So sad. It also makes me sad to think of the ones that they don't find. :-(

[deadparrot]

1. What a sweetheart.

Glad to see she's okay, and I hope she finds a loving home.

[ronnykmarshall]

2. She's beautiful.

I hope she gets adopted by a good family.

[Book Lover]

3. Maybe someone who was afraid

that the Baby Moses law wouldn't prevent this:

And in March, a woman who left her 1-month-old baby at a southeast Houston fire station was later called to appear before a family court judge to answer questions about why she abandoned her baby.

I'm also sure adversiting for the law is underfunded; it seems to be that way in every state with this kind of law. In CA you can go to any police station, firehouse, ER (I'm sure I'm forgetting a few other places) and leave your baby there, no questions asked. Better than the dumpster.

[KarenInMA]

14. Why is it called the Baby Moses law?

Is one of the comandments not to leave kids in dumpsters? Or did some baby named Moses die this way?

:shrug:

sorry. I'm a heathen.

[deadparrot]

15. As the story goes, Moses was put in a basket and floated

down the river as a baby by his mother, because the Pharoah decreed that all firstborn (I think?) boys were to be killed. The Pharoah's daughter found him and raised him as her own.

I'm lapsed myself, but I think that's the gist of it.

[KarenInMA]

17. The Pharoah's daughter adopted Moses?

But doesn't that mean his mother abandonded him too?

[deadparrot]

20. Basically, Moses' mother was ensuring that someone would find

her baby and keep him safe. Kind of like the "Baby Moses" laws allow women to drop off their babies at a fire station, hospital, etc., cementing the child's safety.

Of course, like someone else said, the Bible reference does help matters down south.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

35. According to the story in the book of Exodus

the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt, but Pharoah thought they were multiplying too fast. He therefore commanded that all male babies should be killed at birth.

However, the midwives refused to enforce this, and Moses' parents were successful in hiding him for a while. So Moses' mother put him in a basket and floated him in the river near where Pharoah's daughter went to bathe. She told her daughter Miriam (Moses' older sister) to watch and make sure that the baby would be all right.

Well, Pharoah's daughter found Moses, went "Aww, what a cute baby" and decided to keep him. However, there was no baby formula in those days, so Pharoah's daughter started talking with her servants about finding a wet nurse. That's where Miriam popped up and said, "I couldn't help overhearing...I know a Hebrew woman who could serve as a wet nurse."

So Moses grew up under the protection of the royal household, but with his own mother taking care of him.

At least that's how the story goes.

[IdaBriggs]

51. Yes, and yes -- but his bio mom HAD to or he would be killed

because there was a problem with too many boys being born and the Egyptians were afraid they would rise up against them (big problem with slavery -- too few or too many?). Pharaoh's daughter knew he had been floated down the Nile to save his life, but she loved him like her own, and raised him as a Prince of Egypt. The story goes on that he would probably have become Pharaoh, except that he killed a guard who was beating a slave, and then found out he was a Jew ("blood will tell"); he was banished from Egypt, crossed the dessert, hooked up with a worshiper of "the One God", married his daughter, and was living a decent life as a Shepherd when he ended up having a conversation with a Burning Bush on a Mountain, and was compelled to go give the NEW Pharaoh a message: "Let my people go!"

Its actually one of the most amazing stories in the Bible, and its been made into a couple of excellent movies -- "The Ten Commandments" with Charlton Heston is awesome (even if it does "sex it up" a bit), and there is an animated film (I think "Prince of Egypt") which paid some serious homage to "Ten Commandments" while still being an amazing story.

[FreedomAngel82]

41. Yep you got it

And she knew who he was but she kept it from everybody and he found out when he was older. It's a great story I think.

[knitter4democracy]

16. It's because he'd been lost and then found and adopted.

His sister had him in a mini-boat in the river, and to protect him, she sent him down the river to where the princess was bathing. So, instead of getting killed with all the other first-born sons of the Jews, he got adopted by Pharaoh's daughter.

Okay, I need to look that up and make sure that is right. It's been awhile since I've read it.

[teenagebambam]

26. You've got it right

At least that's how it happened in the movie. And I know the woman who played the big sister!

[knitter4democracy]

43. :D

Thanks for the smile. :D

[Book Lover]

18. For a few reasons

A) Because if it has a reference to a god, it goes down better to some in Texas

B) According to the story of Moses, his birth mother had a scheme to "abandond" him by floating him in a reed basket on the water(don't recall why; go to www.online-bible.com for further clarification) and the daughter of the Pharoah found him, just as Moses' mother planned.

[KarenInMA]

22. Thank you, all of my biblical scholars...

:)

I think I rememeber hearing that in CCD, but well... heathen.

[Desertrose]

4. beyond comprehension......

so sad to think anyone could be so desperate to dump a tiny living being near a dumpster or anywhere.....:cry:

what a dear littlething....

[madeline_con]

5. I wouldn't dump any newborn anywhere.

Not sad. The child's better off now. She could have died in this heat!

[SammyWinstonJack]

11. Nor would I and I can't imagine anyone doing this.

They could have taken the newborn to a hospital a fire station a church, anywhere but beside a dumpster. The little one is adorable.

[RobertSeattle]

6. Texas does have one of those "Safe Haven" laws

Probably the mother didn't know about it.

http://womensissues.about.com/cs/lifestyle/a/blunsafestate.htm

[myrna minx]

7. What a beautiful little baby.

I hope this child never learns that they were discarded by a dumpster. This makes me want to cry. :cry: :cry:

[AndreaCG]

8. I think I would leave it at a hospital

But who knows what goes through the mind of probably a 14 year old.

[atreides1]

9. Cute baby.

Here in Arizona they passed a law that allows mothers of newborns to take the baby to either a hospital or fire station, with no questions asked.

How about in Texas, sorry I forgot it was Texas.

[gkhouston]

12. yes, we have this law, too. n/t

[Greybnk48]

10. This is what can happen when you brainwash kids

into thinking that birth control and abortion are worse than anything else. I'm not saying that was the motivation in this case. But we had this happen not long ago where I live, actually two cases, one where it was below zero and the newborn froze in the dumpster and another where the girl hid the newborn in a garbage bag and it suffocated. Both said that they could NEVER have an abortion!! Can you imagine the fear and twisted thinking that leads to these actions? I can't.

[stevans_41902]

13. I can't believe how people say they could never have an abortion,

but they could do something like leave a newborn in a dumpster. I knew someone who thought she was pregnant at 15 and was horrified at the thought of having an abortion b/c she thought it was morally wrong, but she planned on taking drugs to induce a miscarridge if she found out she was pregnant. The mother might have been 13-14 years old and scared because her parents didnt know she was pregnant. very sad someone feels like this is their only choice...

[ComerPerro]

92. An abortion is morally wrong, but taking drugs to induce miscarriage

is ok?


:wtf: is wrong with these people?

[knitter4democracy]

19. What a precious cutie!

I hope that little one hasn't suffered any for what happened and is adopted by a good, loving family.

Btw, baby needs a cap. Don't they have knitters donating caps and all at that hospital? I'm sure they do, so where's the cap?

[Catherine Vincent]

28. Why does the baby need a cap?

I'm sure they keep it warm enough in the hospital room she's in.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

38. They have problems regulating their body temperature and those little

hats help.

[knitter4democracy]

44. Thanks, and that's right.

Newborns need the warmth from their mother's body to keep at a good temperature. That's one of the reasons why we swaddle them up so much, too. Since so much heat's lost through the head, babies need caps.

Of course, I'm spinning up the yarn for my niece (or nephew) on the way, so my fingers are itching to knit one anyway. ;)

[LeftyMom]

52. Nurses put 'em on all the time

When we packed LK up to leave the hospital we found six of them in the basinette sheets (even though he hardly spent any time in it,) he kept getting them off and the nurses kept putting another one on every time they came in the room. He still hates hats.

Newborns aren't the best at regulating thier body temperature so that's what the hat is for.

[knitter4democracy]

55. Yours too?

My daughter was a mini-Houdini at those baby straight jackets. The nurses chided me for taking them off, and I finally convinced one to stay and watch for a few minutes, and yup, she wriggled right out of it as she watched. I didn't get flak after that. :) Same for the hat, too. She hated being swaddled, so she pretty hated having anything on her. She's now a little fashion maven (changes clothes five times a day :eyes: ).

[LeftyMom]

57. I had the world's smallest nudist

I was doing pretty good if I could keep a diaper on the kid.

These days he'll wear clothes but he has to pick them out, so we find outselves getting strange looks when we're out at the store and he's wearing pajamas, his ren fair outfit or a haloween costume.

[knitter4democracy]

63. Wow. That's what we run into all the time too!

I hear ya on the strange looks. :D Oh well, they're only kids once, right?

We actually got reported by neighbors once for our daughter running in our own yard naked in really hot weather when I was preggers with her brother. She wasn't even two yet, but they called in a report, saying they hardly ever saw her clothed and wondered if it were neglect. :eyes: The cop was really nice and understanding and didn't file anything, but it sure made me nervous after that.

[ulysses]

21. I'm sorry, but this kind of shit

makes me want to hurt people. We can't start a family to save our lives, but people are throwing children in dumpsters.

Fucking world.

[GreenPartyVoter]

31. :^( *big hugs*

[knitter4democracy]

56. I felt the same way when we were ttc.

It hurts way down deep, and it is hard to describe, let alone explain.

I still believe the only reason I got preggers both times is from the old wives tale that I had to knit an outfit first. I know that sounds corny, and it is, but my knitting friends kept telling me to do it and that I'd get pregnant after it was done. After months of trying (and several very late periods :( ), I finally gave up and started an outfit. I was all done except for sewing on the buttons when I found out I was pregnant. For the second one, same thing--all done except for sewing in the ends. Maybe it was a mental thing . . .

I have endometriosis, and it was pretty much against the odds for me to even have a baby, let alone after only a year of trying each time. I remember crying so many times, and I will never forget the early miscarriage. It's a horrible pain. I'm so sorry you're going through that. :(

[knitter4democracy]

58. Odd double post. Sorry.

[AngryOldDem]

94. I hear you

And I know exactly how you feel.

[LWolf]

98. I relate.

People who want to love and raise healthy, happy children can't have them, and people who either don't want them or who want something from them keep popping them out like rabbits, and then dumping them, neglecting them, and/or abusing them.

When you interact daily with kids born with drug-related disabilities and emotional/social dysfunctions from neglect or outright abuse, you lose any empathy for the so-called parents.

[pnorman]

23. First time I had ever heard of the "Baby Moses Law",

but it makes some sense. It gives that distraught mother a stronger incentive to give the infant a better chance of survival.

>
>
CPS officials need genetic and medical information from the biological family, which can be passed on to an adoptive family, Olguin said. Also, the sooner the parents' rights are terminated, the faster the adoption process will be, she said.

The parents of the infant face possible felony charges of abandoning or endangering a child, according to Houston Police spokesman Lt. Robert Manzo. Police have received a few calls regarding the infant, but there are no leads yet, Olguin said.

A 1999 law protects parents from criminal prosecution if an abandoned baby is left in a "safe haven" unharmed.

The Baby Moses Law, enacted in 1999, encourages parents who abandon their infants to do so at a designated location — usually a hospital or fire station — rather than in a dangerous place.
>
>

pnorman

[Modem Butterfly]

24. Yes, I would

If I were a scared teenager who somehow managed to hide her pregnancy from her parents and panicked after the birth. If, in my panic I could see no other options but to continue to hide the truth about my life then yes, I would leave this newborn by a dumpster.

[Catherine Vincent]

27. I think I would have wrapped the baby in a blanket and left it

at some wealthy person's front door.....at least.

[Modem Butterfly]

29. We're talking blind panic here

The hospital would be best, but if you've hidden the entire pregnancy from your folks, as some girls do, and just given birth without painkillers, you're probably not in the most logical place.

[Lindacooks]

32. Yes, you're right.

And another thing people overlook is that after giving birth, a woman is usually in a very emotional state; she may even have post partum psychosis.

I have never understood why, in cases when a teenage couple hides a pregnancy and then gives birth in secret, the mother is held to a higher standard than the father. HE is in better shape psychologically than she is, because SHE went through the physical and emotional trauma of giving birth.

[Modem Butterfly]

33. Chalk it up to sexism

Women are supposed to have a maternal instinct that prevents them from doing shit like this. Men aren't. It's complete bullshit of course.

[smbolisnch]

36. It's not sexist.

You just don't throw babies away. :shrug:

[Modem Butterfly]

37. You just don't do a lot of things...

Like conceal a pregnancy from your parents and give birth in a filthy alley without any painkillers either.

Except that some people do.

I can't imagine the kind of pain and desperation these girls go through. I don't think anyone can.

[knitter4democracy]

47. I think you've nailed it.

Infanticide used to be very common in our culture--one of those unspeakable truths. I don't know why we've turned it around as all women who even consider it are horrible murderers, but we have. Maternal instinct isn't rational, and it can make a mama do crazy things. That's why it's so sad that mother had no support system to help her through it. If she had, she wouldn't have done it, I'm sure.

[Modem Butterfly]

64. The real tragedy is that she might have had a support system...

...that she was too frightened to activate. Parents can surprise you in good ways, and so can friends, acquaintances, and community members. By keeping this secret and allowing it to fester, the girl who gave birth to this child never gave her friends and family a chance to step up to the plate. On the other hand, she may have had a very good reason for not allowing them that chance...

[knitter4democracy]

66. True.

We don't know her situation. It could've been all sorts of horrible things.

[Modem Butterfly]

68. This, to me, is why we need to temper justice with mercy

If they find the mother, I hope they take into account her circumstances before they rush to judgement.

[Catholic Sensation]

73. i hope they take into account what could have happened to the child more

the baby is the victim here.

[knitter4democracy]

75. They're both victims.

The baby is the victim, sure, but I seriously doubt anyone would do what the mother did without major extenuating circumstances behind her action.

Keep in mind, we don't know what happened. We don't know what the mother was thinking or why she did it. What she did was wrong, yes, but we don't know the whole story. People do all sorts of things worse than what she did (like put the baby in a plastic bag in a laundry basket back in a closet like the teenager in Cleveland a few years back when her family could've easily raised him).

I'm a mom, and I had a hard time conceiving, and my heart just bleeds for that little baby, but it also bleeds for the mother. They're both in trouble here and both in need of help.

Yeah, I'm just a bleeding heart liberal . . .

[Modem Butterfly]

78. Well said!

I can't add a thing to your post. Very well said.

:applause:

[knitter4democracy]

79. Wow. My first woo-hoo.

Thanks!

[Catholic Sensation]

80. this is why i have no remorse for whoever could do this:

The infant was about one or two hours old when discovered and was found naked and wrapped in a yellow baby blanket. Ants had started to crawl around her, Olguin said.

A. FUCKING. DUMPSTER. Please, for the love of God, give me any real extenuating circumstance in which leaving a ONE OR TWO HOUR old baby by a dumpster is anything but revolting and therefore the person who did this shouldn't be given whatever the maximum penalty for this is.

[Modem Butterfly]

82. She must have given birth in or near the dumpster

If the infant was only one or two hours old, the mother must have given birth there. Yikes.

I personally don't have it in my to judge some poor teenaged girl who was half out of her mind with fear and pain.

[Catholic Sensation]

84. so "fear and pain" makes it "less bad"

if you put a one hour old child in a place that is unfit for a cigarette break? what about a man who is out of his mind with emotional pain who beats the shit out of his wife for catching her cheating? are you as liberal about judging him for his actions? I'm not. The mother deserves whatever punishment she gets, just like whatever the punishment the man in my example would get for beating his wife.

[Modem Butterfly]

85. Just so long as someone gets punished, right?

:eyes:

what about a man who is out of his mind with emotional pain who beats the shit out of his wife for catching her cheating?

Number one, he's an adult. Number two, emotional states are considered extenuating circumstances in criminal prosecution, such as temporary insanity and battered woman syndrome. Criminal history is also taken into account. If your fictional man had himself been abused, if the fictional wife pulled a gun on him and threatened to murder him, he likely wouldn't get much jail time, if any at all. We don't blindly prosecute and sentence people in this country, fortunately.

[Catholic Sensation]

86. because the mother's actions are excusable

i mean she "only" left a child by a dumpster. what if the child had died? the fucking kid was only an hour or two old. you're missing the point of this, which is, A BABY NOT EVEN A 1/6TH OF A DAY OLD WAS LEFT BY A DUMPSTER. The "poor" mother, she had a medical procedure which should be done in the most sterile environment possible in one of the most filthy environments possible, left the child there, and so far hasn't claimed the baby. Whereas the child was left in a place where it was covered by ants. Yeah the mother is a real victim, I should feel more sorry for her than angry about the disgusting act she committed.

By the way, she had the option of having an abortion. If someone can have a "back alley pregnancy" and leave the baby in this kind of place, I have serious doubts her morals are such that going to planned parenthood wasn't a feasible option.

[Samurai_Writer]

87. Have to have money to have an abortion

Thanks to congress back in 1975, Medicare and Medicaid cannot pay for abortions. So if you are poor and have no way of getting the roughly $500 it takes to have a FIRST trimester abortion, much less a later abortion, you are FORCED to have the child. I'm not saying what she did was right, but this trite "she should have just gotten an abortion" thing really pisses me off. 88% of counties in the US do NOT have an abortion provider. So if you're poor, an abortion is way out of your means.

[Modem Butterfly]

89. In Texas, you have to have parental consent as well.

[Catholic Sensation]

90. i have serious doubts Houston doesn't have an abortion provider

oh wait, Planned Parenthood has a place in Houston, and a website (http://www.pphouston.org/site/PageServer?pagename=homepage}. End of that part of your post. Next I want to see where I said she SHOULD have had an abortion, I said "By the way, she had the option of having an abortion." Do I need to clarify what I said? I would hope you're intelligent enough to realize that I'm saying she had the option of having one, not she should have had one. And again, judging by her actions, I have serious doubts having one would conflict with her sense of morality.

[Samurai_Writer]

91. She doesn't have the OPTION if she has no money

Thank you for conveniently overlooking that part of my post. And I, for one, don't care what her view on abortion is. It's a personal choice to have one or not. What we SHOULD be talking about is WHY she felt so desperate that she could not go to a hospital to have the child.

[Modem Butterfly]

93. Planned Parenthoods in Atlanta do not provide abortions

In fact, the only Planned Parenthood in the state of Georgia that provides abortions is in Savannah, and they are considering not offering the service anymore because the liability insurance is so high.

Because Texas requires parental notification, and because abortions cost money, abortion may not have been an option in this case.

[Modem Butterfly]

88. This is not an issue of morality.

The "poor" mother, she had a medical procedure which should be done in the most sterile environment possible in one of the most filthy environments possible

I think calling giving birth a medical procedure is a gross understatement. Moreover, it's not so much the filth, but the pain, hormones, and endorphis that has me concerned. Women who've just given birth are loopy under the best of circumstances. If a woman was driven to give birth without any painkillers in an alley next to a dumpster, it's safe to say she's not terribly capable of logical thought.

and so far hasn't claimed the baby.

Well yeah. Whatever drove her to give birth in an alley without any sort of painkillers and abandond her child is probably motivating her not to step forward. Moreover, no one else has come forward because in all likelihood, she told no one else. She felt she had to deal with this on her own. Alone.

Yeah the mother is a real victim, I should feel more sorry for her than angry about the disgusting act she committed.

I would never presume to tell someone how to feel, but I think that judgementalism in a situation like this is misplaced and misguided.

If someone can have a "back alley pregnancy" and leave the baby in this kind of place, I have serious doubts her morals are such that going to planned parenthood wasn't a feasible option.

Wow. You think this is a moral issue? That's really just sad.

If the girl didn't have it together to get medical help when her body was almost literally being ripped apart by the process of childbirth, if she didn't even tell anyone she was pregnant, what makes you think she had it together enough to have an abortion? Abortions cost money, they require outside help (you need a ride to and from) and in Texas, they require parental consent.

[knitter4democracy]

99. We're not saying she doesn't deserve punishment.

We are saying that she deserves some mercy, though, and there is a difference.

Now, I do question how you describe childbirth. It isn't a medical procedure that has to be done in the most sterile of places (unless it's a C-section). Women have been giving birth naturally in all kinds of environments for ages and ages. The higher death rates often come from complications beforehand or infections afterward that aren't caught and taken care of.

I gave birth naturally twice, both times in the hospital because I couldn't afford the midwife fee for a home birth (insurance wouldn't cover it but covered the hospital). I was lucky enough to have lots of love and support both times that they were positive, wonderful experiences. That woman did it all by herself with no help, chances are, and I can assure you that she wasn't in any right state of mind, having been there myself.

We don't know why she gave birth there, but once the hard contractions start, I can tell you that you can't move by yourself. You're immobilized by what's going on in your body. Maybe she was trying to get to the hospital but couldn't get that far. Maybe she was trying to get somewhere safe but didn't make it. Once the baby was out, maybe she really thought she was dead or that something was wrong with her. Natural birth babies don't cry right away until you start messing with them, cleaning them up and all. We weren't there, so we can't know exactly what happened or what was going through her head.

[Lindacooks]

103. Oh, grow up.

For God's sake, have a little compassion, will you? Have you ever given birth??? Can't you understand how a girl or woman, having gone through giving birth, most likely ALONE, would not have logical reasoning capacity?

Your lack of understanding and compassion is appalling. And I'm putting you on ignore because I'm sure your response to my statement will be equally appalling.

[Modem Butterfly]

65. The real tragedy is that she might have had a support system...

...that she was too frightened to activate. Parents can surprise you in good ways, and so can friends, acquaintances, and community members. By keeping this secret and allowing it to fester, the girl who gave birth to this child never gave her friends and family a chance to step up to the plate. On the other hand, she may have had a very good reason for not allowing them that chance...

[blondeatlast]

69. Ah, but there's no "shame" involved for him.

It's pure and simple sexism.

[knitter4democracy]

45. It's not a rational time of life, either.

When I look back at how I was right after both of my pregnancies and births, I wasn't exactly rational. I was one fierce mama bear with both of them. The hormones make ya a bit on the crazy side.

[blondeatlast]

67. I don't know about Texas, but here in AZ, our version of the "Baby Moses"

law is sadly underpublicized.

Here you can leave a baby at the hospital, fire station, or nearly any public building and the child will be takin care of, no questions asked.

I suspect the word is not getting out to the places where it could do the most good. Schools, teen centers, even malls--they need to find where the scared kids hang out and get the word to them.

[smbolisnch]

30. What, a restaurant wouldn't have sufficed?

In a booth? Somewhere other than the trash? :shrug:

[Modem Butterfly]

34. Again, we're talking blind panic here

If you've hidden the pregnancy for nine months and given birth without painkillers, you're not going to be thinking too clearly.

[knitter4democracy]

48. I gave birth naturally, and no, I didn't think too clearly afterwards.

It's a time for hiding--I remember being paranoid that someone was going to take my baby. Maybe she thought she was hiding her, maybe she was trying to make it like it never happened, I don't know.

[LisaL]

49. You know absolutely nothing about this mother.

For all I know, she is not 14, she is 40.
You don't know why she did it. I have no clue how you decided you figured everything out about her without even knowing who the hell she is.

[Lindacooks]

60. The odds are very good that she is a teenager.

Because that's how most teenagers deal with these problems. There is no way she's 40 years old, unless she has so many other problems her thinking and reasoning ability was severely impaired.

[LisaL]

74. Really? Do you have any stats on mothers of children dumped on the street?

:eyes:

[Lindacooks]

102. Yes.

http://www.the-seeker.com/bddaytona320.htm

http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/20050406/4/1370

http://www.the-seeker.com/bdlauderdale.htm

The last link states: "The overwhelming majority of women who abandon babies are teens."

There are also many other problems:

"... the kind of mother who would abandon her baby, often impoverished, homeless, abused, mentally ill, or drug addicted..."

"...studies show that mothers of discarded babies typically are not mature enough to consider alternatives or the consequences of their actions."

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~kkloos/paperfour.html

http://famous.adoption.com/famous/foundlings.html

"Foundlings are children abandoned, almost always by their mothers, soon after birth. There is rarely any intention that the child should die, but the mother is usually in such a mental state that she cannot act rationally, or else in such a position that she is or feels unable to approach the social services for help."




I suggest you do a google search on 'abandoned babies mother' and see what comes up. Every single article that mentions age says the mother was a teenager.

[smbolisnch]

50. I don't think that has anything to do with it, though.

Sorry. Pain or no pain.

[blondeatlast]

71. Have you given birth? You are getting responses from

women like me who clearly have.

I had the utmost support from my family, a loving husband, and a healthy child, and I still wouldn't trust myself to decide what color to paint the house.

I can easily see a woman in a less fortunate situation panicking.

[knitter4democracy]

100. Absolutely!

I remember thinking my MIL was going to take my daughter away, and I remember panicking in the middle of birth with my son, convinced he was stuck (he was a big one) and was dying. The mind is gone and the lower brain and body take over. It's definitely not a rational time.

[Sapphire Blue]

25. Safe Place for Newborns

Safe Place for Newborns: http://www.safeplacefornewborns.com/

Toll Free Crisis Line: 1-877-440-2229

Individual state's laws & info/FAQ's: http://www.safeplacefornewborns.com/statemap.html

How you can help: http://www.safeplacefornewborns.com/support.html


Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Safe Place for Newborns?

Minnesota: Safe Place for Newborns provides a mother, who might otherwise abandon her newborn, with a life-saving option. She may bring her unharmed newborn, up to 3 days old, to any hospital in the state of Minnesota - anonymously, and free from the fear of prosecution.

Across the United States: 44 other states have enacted some type of legislation that makes it possible for a mother to safely relinquish her child at a safe place in lieu of a more dangerous one.

Continued @ http://www.safeplacefornewborns.com/faq.html#What%20is%20Safe%20Place%20for%20Newborns

[dogday]

39. That child was not far from my home

Get used to seeing a lot of this if pro-choice is overturned. It is a freaking shame that these girls are so afraid that they would do this as opposed to telling their parents...

[ngGale]

54. You're right about will happen, if Roe is overturned ...

growing up in the pre-Roe world was not a picnic. And yes, some girls are more afraid of their parent's, become and do, irrational things. Especially, if the parent's are very stern on religious views. America sells this idea, that marriage and having babies is the ultimate full filing, wonderful moment. But, it's not always true. When the reality hits some young, new mother's they think - this is a lot of work, it's not the way I'm suppose to feel. America is way behind the rest of the world with women's issues. And we keep going backwards, pushing the perfect marriage and children dream. The realities of birth and parenting a child should be a top issue, but it's not happening.

I'm hoping the new 'sweetie' baby will get wonderful parents.

[blondeatlast]

72. Having attended high school in a rural area pre-RvW, I can tell you that

it did occasionally happen without anyone finding out.

No facilities, no counseling, scared teenagers=lots of whispers in high school.

[knitter4democracy]

76. Yup.

It happened in my area, too, and that was after Roe. There were only the whispers . . .

[FreedomAngel82]

40. How sad

So cute. :cry: Why would someone want to give up their baby?

[xmas74]

42. There are too many people out there who would be glad

to have that child.
How awful.

[Swamp Rat]

46. Aww!!! What a cutie!

I hope she will be OK... seems like she will. :)

[greenbriar]

53. I would adopt her in a second!~

I was only able to have one child.

would have loved another and can't ...yet people do this shit.

where is the justice

[Zuni]

59. anyone who dumps a baby anywhere

is lower than most animals, who know to take care of their wee ones

[Caria]

61. A friend (physician) sometimes gets calls

from teenagers who say they could never get an abortion but would instead like a "miscarriage pill" or a "miscarriage procedure." Freeper attempts at entrapment or confused pregnant kids?

[knitter4democracy]

70. Most likely confused pregnant kids.

When I taught high school, I was always amazed at the total lack of knowledge about sexuality and pregnancy issues. I shouldn't have, considering the kids I went to college with, but the students I had acted so sexually so much of the time but had a hard time believing they'd get pregnant. :eyes: I'm sure they wouldn't call their mom's doctor for help.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

62. If I were Republican I would

once a baby is born, who gives a shit about it?

[CWebster]

77. Every child a wanted child...

[Samurai_Writer]

81. The Baby Moses laws do NOT stop this kind of thing

There was a study put out recently, to see if the number of dumpster/abandoned babies had decreased since the Baby Moses laws went into effect, in several states (including Texas). They have actually INCREASED. I don't have a link right now, but being from Houston, I can tell you this is a COMMON occurrence here.

Even though the Baby Moses laws are supposed to be 'no questions asked', that is not the case. The authorities always look for the mother, and if found, she is usually forced to go to court and sign away her parental rights. These laws do NOTHING to solve the problem. What WOULD solve the problem (not that it's ever going to happen), is a society that doesn't heap shame and scorn on unmarried, pregnant women, that instead actually HELPS them physically, emotionally, and financially to be able to keep their babies.

Or, they can do what my parents and most people did back in the 1970s and earlier -- send the girl to an unwed mothers home and brainwash and/or coerce her into giving up her baby for adoption. There is still plenty of those places around, believe it or not.

[Iris]

83. Don't know - never been poor, pregnant, and desparate before. n/t

n/t

[bleedingheart]

95. Why don't we make it easier for these moms to give up their babes?

why not have a no questions asked policy???

the baby is a cutie pie ...i am sure some family will come forward to adopt her...

[Sapphire Blue]

96. See Post # 25... Safe Place for Newborns

[CWebster]

97. Because it is all part of an entrenched attitude

to keep women in their place and shouldering the blame.

[Taxloss]

101. Ah, the "culture of life" at work.

This is why an all-encompassing welfare state is so vital.