Closely
related to abortion is the sad condition of abandoned babies. Although, lives
are spared, it is similar to abortion in the sense that children are unwanted.
It is very unfortunate that such a situation still exist in the civil world now.
In Singapore alone there have been a surge in the number of babies being
abandoned in various places in unimaginable ways. Some babies still had their
umbilical cord attached while others were nicely wrapped in warm clothing and
arrived in a basket.
In
this section on abandoned babies we will touch on:
On of the recent cases this year was when a baby girl in Singapore, believed to be a Malay, was left outside a Malay family’s home on the eve of Hari Raya Puasa. Though the family welcomed the young visitor, one fact remains clear – that her parents did not want her. What were to become of these innocent babies?
Laws in Singapore states that a person found guilty of abandoning a baby
will be fine or imprisoned. But most of the time, it is unknown who the parents
of these babies are. So, this problem continues – that could explain why there
has been an increase in abandoned babies. The parents know that the chances of
getting caught are extremely low. What are
the measures to protect these babies from further damage?
WHAT
HAS BEEN DONE TO REMEDY THE SITUATION
Adoption has always been a primary solution. There are temporary shelters to accommodate the babies until a suitable foster family is found. Sometimes the family of the baby might want to take it back to take care of it. Most of the babies are a result unplanned pregnancies particularly among the teenagers. This trend seems to be rather worrying as the future of the babies are very uncertain and it reflects the lack of moral values and responsibility of the people nowdays.
INTERNATIONAL
EXAMPLES
The
Baby Rescue Program founded by Debbe Magnusen after she heard of five
babies abandoned in Orange County in just a month. This program is to
rescue babies from mothers who contemplate on abandoning them. Help includes
counselling andlegal assistance. Another program started by Debbe Magnusen is Project
Cuddles, with the motto ‘ No child deserves to die before they have a
chance to live’.
CASE
STUDY: ABANDONED CHILDREN IN LATIN AMERICA
Children in Honduras increasingly turning to solvent abuse as a result of being abandoned by parents to escape the harsh realities of life. Extensive brain damage done and something must be done to disrupt this vicious cycle of abandonment.
Street children especially vulnerable and humanitarian organizations set up to educate the people – especially the poverty-stricken regions.
Such implementations are a must to protect these young children – they need not suffer as a result of the irresponsible actions of the parents.
This very adorable baby has been abandoned by her mother shortly after she was born. She is one of the many unfortunate children in South America awaiting to be adopted. Who wouldn’t want such a cute baby?
CASE
STUDY : SINGAPORE
In February 1999, 18 year-old Chen Zhou from China abandoned his one-day old baby in Braddell Hill, whom he had after having sex with an underaged girl. The baby nicknamed Joe, was clad in a blue T-shirt and wrapped in two towels and a blanket, with its umbilical cord still attached, when it was left at the seventh floor of Block 10G in Braddell Hill. Chen has since admitted in January 2000 about the abadoned baby and has been charged in court. Joe’s mother was put under probation for 15 months as she ws underaged at the time of the act. Her friend who was 17 at the time and who helped the couple abandon the baby, was given 12 months probation. Chen, however, had to face baby abandoning charge and two charges of having sex with a minor.Chen’s parents have agreed to provide financial help for Baby Joe by paying S$12, 000 in maintenace for Joe’s first three years.
Very recently, in the Straits Times, it was reported that a mother of an abandoned baby, a Filipino maid in Singapore, has been charged with attempted murder as she abandoned her newborn baby by trying to flush him down the toilet bowl.
There are many sites dedicated to the plight of abandoned children.
Here are some which we think may be of interest: