posted June 26, 2012 07:38 PM            

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18585020

Boxes where parents can leave an unwanted baby, common in medieval Europe, have been making a comeback over the last 10 years. Supporters say a heated box, monitored by nurses, is better for babies than abandonment on the street - but the UN says it violates the rights of the child.

It is an unlikely scene for the most painful of dramas. On the edge of a road in a leafy suburb of Berlin, there is a sign pointing through the trees down a path. It says "Babywiege" - Baby Cradle.

At the end of that path, there is a stainless steel hatch with a handle. Pull that hatch open, and there are neatly folded blankets for a baby. The warmth is safe and reassuring. There is a letter, too, telling you who to call if you change your mind.

posted June 27, 2012 03:26 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by PixieJane:
Seems a good idea to me. I got really ticked off when reporters would use all their tricks to track down a mother (typically an unmarried teen) and try to up his/her rep by exposing and attacking her and/or trying to get a sob story. Of course it wasn't about the baby it was about the reporter's career and cynical and craven manipulation of the mother and society for completely selfish ends and it inspired other such mothers to go back to putting unwanted babies in dumpsters again so they couldn't be tracked down. Personally, I think those reporters should be somewhat legally liable for those babies who died because of their heartless exposes that helped no one but the reporter.

And I'm not convinced that this would be used to get rid of a baby that a mother wants. I can see it happening, and I'm not surprised that some people do exactly that, but filing a missing child report should clear that up right away if the mother wants her child. And if the mother doesn't want the child (especially if she has a pimp or lives with sick ******** who would get rid of the baby for her) why the hell would anyone want to force that poor child to live with such a person surely to be abused, neglected, and unloved!?

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I agree.

I do feel that people should be able to drop off unwanted children to a safe place, no questions asked, no names, personal information, or other identifying details taken, no judgment passed.

Motherhood is so incredibly stressful and a huge burden that women get pressured and sometimes bullied into undertaking, which is highly unfair. It's not a happy or joyful experience (at least not for every woman). It's an enormous responsibility with a lot of stress, frustration, financial costs, social costs, emotional costs, etc. It is not for everyone and no woman should ever be made to feel guilty for saying no to being a parent. It's better to say no when you know that you can't or don't want to do it rather than say yes and end up neglectful, abusive, resentful, bitter, deeply unhappy, etc.