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Europe’s ‘Baby Boxes’ Criticized By United Nations

Posted: June 12, 2012

baby boxes europe united nations

The growing number of ‘baby boxes’ in Europe has attracted criticism from the United Nations, which has stated the boxes violate a child’s rights to know their parents.

What’s a baby box? Well, these capsules are often found built into the walls of hospitals, and are meant to provide a safe place to leave children who are not wanted by their parents. While an initial reaction to any parent dumping their child might be revulsion, proponents of the boxes argue they save lives. Previously, babies have been found abandoned down shady alleys, or even on rubbish dumps.

The boxes have grown in popularity in recent years, becoming increasingly popular in European countries such as the Czech Republic, Germany and Latvia. And they get some use as well. Since 2000, just over 400 children have been left in the 200 boxes across Europe. Baby boxes also prove popular with many religious commentators, who view them as a preferable solution to abortion.

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is not as enamored. The organisation says such boxes contravene the state’s “duty to respect the child’s right to maintain personal relations with his or her parent,” violating the child’s right to a name and nationality in the process. And, more intriguingly, the committee argued that the boxes do not save lives.

Maria Herczog, a member of the UN committee, told the Guardian:

“Just like medieval times in many countries we see people claiming that baby boxes prevent infanticide there is no evidence for this.”

Herczog went on to argue that the boxes should be replaced with better provision for family planning to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Yet the masses also seem to think the boxes are a good idea: a recent survey in the Czech Republic found that the majority of the population favoured keeping the country’s 47 boxes.

Category: News
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Posted: June 12, 2012
Chris Greenhough

By Chris Greenhough









Comments


3 Archived Responses to “ Europe’s ‘Baby Boxes’ Criticized By United Nations ”

  1. Melanie Le
    Jun 12, 2012

    I don't have an opinion on this but now I know where to get my next baby in a couple of year.

  2. Catherine West
    Jun 12, 2012

    At least their not thrown in the trash or killed.Now , where can I adopt one of these abandoned babies? I have a lot of love to give…

  3. Dawn Geras
    Jun 15, 2012

    I'm aghast that the U.N. could make such statements!
    With minimal thought, they don't really make sense. A few examples:

    1) “duty to respect the child’s right to maintain personal relations with his or her parent,” violating the child’s right to a name and nationality in the process.
    Can they really mean what they say? What is more important, the child's right to know his parents or the RIGHT TO LIFE? Babies that are unable to be cared for by their biological parents has existed for centuries. Society USED to provide orphanages, foundling homes, etc. Those no longer exist, but the problem remains. Baby boxes, or as I prefer to say, "Safe Havens for Newborns" provide another option.

    2) "Boxes should be replaced with better provision for family planning to prevent unwanted pregnancies."
    Of course, BUT when that doesn't work, you still need a safety net for these babies. People should drive their cars safely… but if there is an accident, isn't it nice to have airbags inflate?

    3) "The baby hatch is an easy, comfortable 'solution' for the state, instead of providing a comprehensive set of policies, services to prevent abandonment. Currently the system is serving first and foremost the interest of the prospective adoptive parents, who are usually well situated middle-class families, while at the same time indirectly assumes that these birth mothers are irresponsible and unsuitable for motherhood."
    Some validity to this. But if the biological parent is unable financially and or emotionally to care for this baby, what is wrong with allowing a family that can financially and emotionally love and care for this child be able to raise him or her? Forcing parenthood on someone unable to cope too often ends in child abuse or worse.

    4) "Herczog and others have argued that the successful campaign to enact Safe Haven legislation was.
    initiated and promoted by pro-life organizations and those on the “religious right.”.
    This is a lie or at best, a misconception. Speaking as the person behind the Illinois legislation, I adamantly deny that. The baby that we are talking about saving has ALREADY BEEN born. It has nothing to do with pro-life or the religious right.

    Dawn Geras
    President, Save Abandoned Babies Foundation.
    http://www.SaveAbandonedBabies.org
    http://www.facebook.com/SaveAbandonedBabies
    Phone: 312-440-0229 Fax: 312-440-0805.
    55 E. Erie St., #2905.
    Chicago, IL 60611-2255.