A Controversial Solution for Abandoned Babies in the US
For outsiders, it can be bewildering to understand how a new mother might abandon her baby. However, facing the widespread prevalence of this issue in the US, authorities have devised a creative solution to save some of these infants, who are often left in hazardous places.
For outsiders, it can be bewildering to understand how a new mother might abandon her baby. However, facing the widespread prevalence of this issue in the US, authorities have devised a creative solution to save some of these infants, who are often left in hazardous places.
"We do not judge any mother forced to give up her child," say the leaders of a particularly creative initiative involving special boxes distributed throughout the country, equipped with essential conditions to keep the baby alive. "All children deserve love and proper care. We have encountered babies who lost their lives because they were left too long outside by trash bins or in bushes, and we must fight against this."
The special box is called a 'baby drop box' and has been adopted both in the US and in Belgium and other countries. Despite having saved thousands of infants already, the initiative has its critics. "I oppose this idea because it's a precedent that may encourage mothers to abandon their babies," stated the former mayor of Brussels, Pierre Muelle.
The special box is installed on a wall and looks like a regular mailbox, containing a special cradle designed to receive the infant safely.
How do the authorities know when another baby has been placed in the box? A silent alarm is triggered, quickly alerting them that a new infant has been placed and its exact location. "Within five minutes of receiving the notification of the baby's arrival, we send a doctor to the site to check that everything is alright. The infant is then moved to foster families who have been waiting for such an opportunity for years."
Monica Kelsey from the US, who herself was abandoned as a child, initially launched this unique initiative. "I wanted to save as many babies as possible so they could grow up like everyone else, in loving families. I didn’t want these children to go through what I did," she says.
"In a country where roughly a hundred infants are abandoned each year, some left at the doors of fire stations and hospitals, we must be creative in our response," says Monica.
