Today's topic is "baby hatch".
A baby hatch is a place where mother can bring and leave their infant children anonymously. This place is safe for babies and there are always some staff to take care of them so that they don't die or are not in any danger at the places where they are abandoned. The aim of this facility is to save unwanted babies from being killed by parents or abortions. There many places like this in Western countries. I think most of us know about baby post which was recently opened in
Kumamoto. Some people think it is a good idea, others not.
Here are two responses to this facility...
One is
here by the woman from Florida, U.S.
All she wants to say is that baby hatch is not good as you can know from the title "Baby hatch is not the answer" She knows about this issue because she has worked with children and families for more than 20 years, and she now works with developmentally disabled adults, some of whom were abandoned and experienced traumatic separation from parents. She thinks such experiences give children much damage regardless of age, and they will suffer to overcome losses of significant people like parents. So she is saying through her own experience that baby post is not the answer because even if children are abandoned at the safe places and raised by other people, and they will suffer so much and lead a good life eventually.
The other one is
here by the woman from
Kanagawa, Japan.
She thinks baby hatch is a good idea. She is saying it can be alternative by
mentioning the event in Japan some years ago. A junior high school student bore a baby, and she and her boyfriend delivered it secretly in an open-air location. They abandoned it in a nearby temple in cold weather and it died. There was one assumption that the couple were fearful of the consequences of their actions and thus felt that they had no choice but to abandon the infant. So she thinks if there were any facilities like baby hatch, they didn't do such a thing and the baby would not have died. Therefore, she support the idea of baby post.
I agree with the latter opinion. I think the most important thing about this situation is to save as many lives as we can. Even if they will suffer when they grow up, they can still live and there is much possibility for them to lead happy lives. If they die when abandoned, they have nothing more. I think there are many young couples who get unwanted infants. Of course they are irresponsible and selfish, but those babies have no reason to die, so I support the idea of baby post.
