U.N. Criticizes Spread of Baby Drop Boxes
Safe havens were designed to prevent infanticide. But U.N. critics say they violate child rights.
A system designed to protect unwanted newborns in Europe has drawn criticism from a United Nations committee responsible for the well-being of the world’s children. The U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child claims that baby drop boxes – safe havens where mothers can leave unwanted newborns – actually violate the rights of the child they are designed to save.
Plus, the drop boxes’ critics say, they don’t really work.
The U.N. committee’s main criticism is that the boxes, which require no documentation and, therefore, do not name the mother or father of the abandoned child, violates the U.N.-named right of a “child to be known and cared for by his or her parents.” Dr. Maria Herczog, a member of the UNCRC, also told TIME that the drop boxes allow society to avoid dealing with the root of the child abandonment problem. From TIME:
“Many NGOs and institutions use it as a cheap and populist solution to the problem of child abandonment,” Herczog said. “It is definitely a growing practice across Europe.”
The E.U. country with the most baby drop boxes, Germany, is also the country with the strongest economy, critics observe. Hamburg, alone, has three of the boxes. Despite the availability of these safe havens, 30 to 40 children in Germany die every year due to abandonment. That’s the same number in total of babies that have been saved since the first box was installed back in 2000. Not all of those babies were dropped off by mothers, some also say, rather fathers or relatives took it upon themselves to give the babies up.
As the U.N. takes a closer look at the drop boxes, which are growing in numbers, German lawmakers have put some new rules in place that will make child abandonment, even in the safe havens, more difficult. The purpose is to bring “confidential births” in line with the nation’s constitution, which guarantees the right to know of one’s origins and also the rights of fathers to be part of a child’s upbringing — both of which are breached, as The Guardian points out and TIME reports, when a newborn is left at one of these boxes.
All 50 states in the U.S. have some kind of safe haven laws where unwanted children can be dropped off at certain hospitals or other public places. Do you think they are a good idea?
Good idea? ONLY if you want to save the lives of these innocent, precious newborn babies.
“Violate the rights of the child they are designed to save… the right to know of one’s origins and also the rights of fathers to be part of a child’s upbringing” –
What about the child’s RIGHT TO LIFE?! Shouldn’t that be the first priority?
“Critics say, they don’t really work.”
Ask the over 2,030 babies that are alive today in the U.S. if they think the Baby Safe Haven laws don’t work.
This is a case of where thier current laws are impeeding life saving measures. Safe Haven works when it’s available and when it’s utilized, plain and simple. If a parent of a newborn or a mother to be is unable or unwilling to care for their child and they know they can SAFELY give up their baby without question, most times they will do so instead of killing the child or throwing the baby in the trash or something. If these parents have to start giving up their personal info, then what will stop them from just killing or leaving the child to die somewhere, cold and alone? Those who choose to utilize Safe Haven do so b/c they are usually hiding a pregnancy b/c they don’t want anyone to know they are pregnant, so why would they want to leave their names? If they didn’t have this issue, then they would just go through an adoption agency instead.
They cannot be serious! This is ridiculous! Without Safe Haven, many more children would remain in situations where they are abused, neglected, killed, or left to die! The only thing I think is unfortunate is that more people do not use them before safety and well-being of these unwanted children has been jeapardized. I think 100% of children would prefer to have the opportunity to grow up in a safe and loving home, as opposed to being neglected and/or abused in lieu of the ability to find out where they came from. Look at the whole picture, people!
“U.N.-named right of a “child to be known and cared for by his or her parents.” Except that some governments make it so hard for parents to give their child a good life in the form of adequate healthcare, shelter, education, food, and feel they have no choice but to give up their children and hope they will have better opportunities elsewhere. The U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child sounds very nice but is shortsighted and clueless.