| You’ve read the article. Now tell us what you think. | A disturbing message can be seen on new signs dotting Houston’s landscape: “Don’t abandon your baby. Call 1-877-904-SAVE.”The billboards and 24-hour hotline are part of a push by Texas legislators and health officials to curb the distressing rise in the number of so-called dumpster babies—newborns who have been found dead or nearly dead in parking lots, woods, rivers, and trash cans. Last year, Houston, which leads the country in this phenomenon, reported 13 such incidents in a 10-month period. Three of the babies were found dead.But Houston is by no means the only American city facing a rise in discarded babies. According to a national survey of media reports commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), 108 newborns were abandoned in public places in 1998, up from 65 in 1991.Experts can’t explain the increase. “The nature of these acts is isolated and sporadic, with no real common thread,” said Michael Kharfen, spokesman for the Administration for Children and Families, which is part of the HHS. “Economically, culturally, ethnically—there just isn’t a single thing that defines it. The only common thread is that these people appear to be desperate and totally ignorant of what could be done for their babies.”Creating a safe harborBy no means over, the trend does seem to be tapering off in Houston. So far this year, the city has reported only one abandoned baby, a 2-week-old girl left on a rest room floor at Memorial Hospital Southeast on Feb. 9.The fact that the baby was left at a hospital is a happier ending than most abandonment cases and a sign that a new Texas law may be working. The law, which went into effect Sept. 1, 1999, gives parents immunity from prosecution if they turn over their babies to a hospital or licensed emergency medical service provider.California is considering similar legislation with SB 1368. Under the bill, written by Sen. James Brulte, R-Rancho Cucamonga, parents and others would be protected from prosecution if they voluntarily surrender a healthy baby younger than 30 days old at a county hospital, police or fire station, social welfare clinic, or child protective agency. California currently classifies baby abandonment as a felony.Although California hasn’t seen the same spike in baby dumpings as Texas, scattered incidents continue. The latest occurred Feb. 27 in Antioch, where police said they found a “minutes-old” baby boy in a garbage can.”There isn’t a run on abandoned babies in [California],” said Dan Nelson, press secretary for Brulte. “The idea of this law is that it discourages mothers from taking this drastic action in the first place.”Brulte was prompted to act after he received a call from Debi Faris, who maintains a tiny cemetery for abandoned babies in Calimesa, Calif., called the Garden of Angels. Faris gives each of the babies a name, a headstone, and proper burial. In almost four years, she has buried 38 babies. “She called our office saying she wanted the senator to put her out of business,” Nelson said.But many people oppose the law, saying it only encourages desperate acts of abandonment. Debbe Magnusen, who runs a private crisis program for pregnant women called Project Cuddle, thinks the law wrongly assumes that girls will willingly turn over their babies to law enforcement or healthcare agencies. “I know these girls, and they would rather give birth in the bushes and hope someone finds it than go to a hospital,” Magnusen said. “They don’t want anything to do with authorities.”Is it working?Texas officials say it’s too early to tell if the decline in abandonments in Houston can be attributed to the new law, the public awareness campaign, or something else. “We still don’t know if what we’re looking at is a statistical aberration or something we did,” said George Ford, executive director of the Harris County Children’s Protective Services.Despite the Feb. 9 abandonment at Memorial Hospital Southeast, officials say no one has turned in a baby to a hospital or an emergency medical technician. And not a single call to the highly touted crisis hotline has come from someone on the verge of dumping a baby, Ford saidAs SB 1368 moves into committee hearings in California, legislators are trying to work out the details of what would be expected of nurses and EMTs who receive a baby, Nelson said. If there are new programs and responsibilities in this area, will there be training or funding?”I think we are all eager to see these programs working and how they can contribute to a child’s life,” Kharfen said. “At that moment for a healthcare worker, it’s the whole world in your hands.” |
