Hospital to open drop-off for abandoned babies

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

Source: CBC

A Vancouver hospital plans to offer a safe haven for troubled mothers who want to abandon their newborn babies anonymously.

According to St. Paul's Hospital staff, the so-called angel's cradle will be in a private area accessible from just outside the entrance of the downtown hospital's emergency room on Burrard Street, as well as from inside the emergency room itself.

The facility opening Monday will allow a mother to put a baby in the bassinet and leave before hospital staff are notified by an alarm with a 30-second delay, according to a statement released by the hospital on Thursday morning.

The baby would then be given any necessary treatment by hospital staff before being turned over to the Ministry of Children and Family Development for long-term care.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/04/29/bc-angels-cradle-vancouver-st-pauls-hospital.html

[ensho]

1. hugs to the hosp. staff for caring

nt

[AlbertCat]

2. This sounds creepy...

"After hours, please drop baby through slot."

But it's certainly better than leaving them in a dumpster or something!

[proudohioan]

3. What a wonderful, humane, non-judgmental approach. n/t

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

5. And that's why it happened in Canada.

Canada is a nice place.

[SocialistLez]

7. +1

[AnneD]

10. Here in Texas....

we call it the Moses law and have had it for a while. Mothers can leave their newborn at a fire station or hospital. We have even had cases of older children left. CPS tried to help the family on that one. Other states have it too. Vancouver is late but I like their needle exchange program.

[Robb]

13. Colorado as well. nt

[Book Lover]

17. California too (nm)

[Warpy]

15. What this does is add anonymity

which is something important for a single mother who is consumed by Judeo-Christian shame. That shame is why babies in areas with dropoff laws will still show up in the trash from time to time. Shame prevents these young women from handing the baby to another person.

Shame is toxic. It kills. This particular setup will help these women do the right thing by making it anonymous.

[BellaLuna]

16. L.A. has had that type thing for years

Not sure if it's statewide but this was setup long ago here.

L.A. must be nice haha

[tavalon]

20. For once America is just about as good

All fifty states have a safe haven rule. My state's rules are too restrictive for my taste but they are in place.

[Seedersandleechers]

4. I agree

with this solution to unwanted babies. Most likely there will be a lot of people hoping to adopt a new born.

[leahcim]

6. Is this the same Vancouver...

...that has needle exchange programs and safe injection sites for heroin addicts? It seems like the same philosophy -- we don't want this to happen, but it will happen, so in addition to taking steps to ensure that it happens as little as possible, we will also take steps to ensure that when it does happen, it happens in the least destructive way possible.

[superconnected]

9. Good for them.

Right now, I'm trying to buy a hypodermic needle for a prop in an indie film and every pharmacy I go to acts like I'm a drug addict, and won't sell to me, even though I explain, offer up script and casting call and my website. I don't look a drug addict.

One pharmacy told me I need a doctors prescription which the pharmacy across the street says is not necessary and that he just won't sell me one because it's against his policy. He told me I couldn't buy one there but I can at any other pharmacy. Not any I've found.

Now I see why drug addicts use dirty needles. I also see why they share needles. They can't buy clean ones AT ALL. No wonder they get Aids. The pharmacy's have made it a post-facto for drug users to only have access to dirty needles and get Aids.

I feel sorry for women seeking the morning after pill since that's also up to the pharmacy.

[jmowreader]

18. Trying to buy a syringe without a needle is about as bad

A couple years ago I needed a 30cc syringe without a needle--you use them to prime the heads on wide-format inkjet printers, and the ink dissolves the syringes so you need quite a few. I figured the local farm supply store would have one. "Nope. Go to the vet." I went to the veterinarian and they just about shit...why would anyone want a syringe with no needle? I finally wound up with a hand-operated vacuum pump. "Why are you using that instead of a syringe?" "Because you can't even GET a syringe! The alternative is to prime the heads by sucking on the hoses and I'm not doing it."

[cyberswede]

8. We have a "Safe Haven" law in Iowa

Unfortunately, the state allocated $0 to advertise the service. I truly believe that people would us it, if only they knew about it. I can think of two instances in the recent past when high school girls disposed of their newborns - so sad for all involved! Too bad they didn't know about the Safe Haven Act. :(

http://www.dhs.state.ia.us/Consumers/Safety_and_Protection/Safe_Haven.html

[mopinko]

11. we have this in chicago. might be a state law.

not sure. but you can leave a baby at any police or fire station, also.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

12. All 50 US states now have 'baby drop off' or 'safe haven' laws

According to this: http://www.gadaboutmedia.com/parenting/babies-and-toddlers/dont-throw-your-baby-away-baby-drop-off-laws/

[babydollhead]

14. I want one!!

[tavalon]

19. We recently had a baby dropped off at our hospital as part of our safe haven

There is a one page questionairre about medical issues for the mother and father but no identifying questions are asked. I think the safe haven idea rocks and am quite annoyed that my state only allows three days from the day the infant is born. Sure, I would rather people just legitimately gave their children up for adoption but I also have great respect for people who kept their kids and then realized they just couldn't take care of them properly. Just as I have great respect for women who make the difficult decision to have abortions for whatever reasons.

Our hospital is structured such that the only place the baby could stay during the CPS workup was the NICU. It was fun to have a healthy newborn and a charmer at that for those few days. We "fought" over getting to give him his requisite cuddling. That baby had to have been the most pampered baby ever. I hope, somehow, that helps in the future. Of course, I hope all of my care for my NICU charges has long term benefit. It certainly does for me. I can love them unconditionally and yet, knowing their loving parents, it is surprisingly easy to be very okay when they go home.

You know, just talking about this reminds me that I have a job that just rocks. Some of my coworkers are controlled lunatics but the babies are just fabulous and so trusting. It is a magnificent joyful challenge to live up to their trust.