Is it time Australia follows the lead of Europe and introduces baby hatches?  Source: Supplied

At first they thought it was “a kitten screaming”, but on closer investigation they discovered a crying baby who had been abandoned down a stormwater drain. That the baby was alive after five days of scorching heat, deprived of water or nourishment, was considered by many to be a miracle.

The body of another newborn baby was discovered a week later on a beach in Maroubra. Two children, 6 and 7, unearthed the badly decomposed body of a newborn girl while playing in the sand. It’s been reported the horrified parents tried to tell the children it was just a big fish, but the boys knew it wasn’t.

While police are yet to find the mother of the Maroubra baby, the mother of the child found in Quakers Hill has been charged with attempted murder. And though the mother is yet to explain her actions, we do know this: she has no criminal record and the baby was abandoned within 24 hours of birth. According to some reports, family with whom she was residing knew nothing of a pregnancy.

The discovery of an abandoned baby invariably leaves a community seeking answers, but two cases in one city in the space of one week has led to some asking a new question: is it time baby hatches were introduced into Australia?

JOIN THE DEBATE: TELL US WHAT YOU THINK BELOW

Baby hatches, or baby safe havens, are boxes or chutes, usually attached to a hospital or fire station, where a woman can legally abandon her child. There are currently baby hatches in operation in Canada, South Africa, some states in the US, India, China and Germany, where there are more than 100.

Other European countries operating baby hatches include Switzerland, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Austria, Latvia, Belgium, the Netherlands and even the Vatican City.

Baby hatches are a modern-day take on foundling wheels in Medieval Europe. Foundling wheels were revolving door-type arrangements, usually attached to convents or hospitals, where a woman could safely abandon her child, often at night.

Senator Helen Polley is leading the fight to introduce baby hatches into Australia.

These days, the baby hatch is normally a heated box or chute that contains a crib and an alert, which is triggered three minutes after a baby is deposited.

Women who leave their baby in a hatch have a certain amount of time, usually three months, in which to reclaim their child without fear of prosecution. When a child is reclaimed, the mother is offered support from the hospital.

German hatches, which are often held up as a model for western countries, also contain an inkpad and paper. The mother takes an imprint of the child’s foot to use as initial confirmation of its parenthood, which is followed by medical tests, in the event she reclaims the child.

Supporters say the hatches save the lives of babies at risk of infanticide or dangerous abandonment.

The cases of the two babies abandoned in Sydney brought back memories of another abandoned child for Tasmanian Senator Helen Polley — a child that made such an impact on her that she has spent the years since campaigning for the introduction of baby hatches in Australia.

Angel Baby was the name given to a little boy abandoned at a bus stop in Shepparton in July, 2008.

“I have cried so many tears for this baby,” Senator Polley says, remembering the troubling story. “The baby was still alive when he was left and there were people waiting at the bus stop who saw the bag moving and did nothing because they thought it was an animal or something. The baby eventually died.”

While a traumatised and angry public demanded that the mother (who has never been identified or located) be called to account, Senator Polley just felt an overwhelming grief.

The bus shelter near Shepparton where the body of a baby boy, was found dumped in a plastic bag.  

“That poor women will suffer for the rest of her life,” she says. “We cannot judge her. We don’t know what her circumstances were, or how traumatised she was. She will think about that baby every day for the rest of her life.”

Two years later, following the eventual burial of Angel Baby, Senator Polley stood up in Parliament and for the first time asked the Australian public and lawmakers to consider baby hatches.

Dr Geoffrey Cundiff is considered by many to be the father of the modern-day baby hatch. He is the regional department head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Providence Health Care in Canada, and in 2010 was integral in creating the first Canadian baby hatch at St Paul’s Hospital, where he is based.

The idea of creating a baby hatch came, he said, in response to the number of abandoned infants being found dead in Vancouver.

“Over a six-year period beginning in 2004, Vancouver’s Lower Mainland saw three babies abandoned in various locations,” Dr Cundiff says.
“At St Paul’s Hospital we had also seen some infants abandoned. In response to this, we decided to create what we call the Angel’s Cradle.

“It’s important to note that the Angel’s Cradle isn’t meant to replace the strong social safety net we enjoy as Canadians. Instead, it is meant as a last resort for mothers and their babies in need. By offering anonymity, it offers a safer option than abandonment in the community.”

For Senator Polley, the introduction of baby hatches in Australia is a no-brainer.

“It’s about making sure that every avenue is open for vulnerable women,” she says. “Isn’t it preferable that a baby is left in the safety of a hospital rather than abandoned at a bus stop?”

The baby hatch at St Paul's Hospital in downtown Vancouver was one of the first baby hatches.

She says some people opposed to the introduction of hatches have told her they fear some women could see it as an “easy fix”. Need a break from your baby? Sure, why not drop it off at a baby hatch, put your feet up and relax for a week, then reclaim your child.

Senator Polley dismisses these claims as ridiculous. “There is just not going to be a rush on baby hatches!” she says.

Dr Cundiff says that certainly has not been the Canadian experience. “Since its inception (five years ago), two mothers have used the Angel’s Cradle.”

Professor Karen Healy, national president of the Australian Association of Social Workers, agrees that lives need to be saved, but doesn’t believe baby hatches are the answer.

“The claim that baby hatches save lives has not been demonstrated in most research studies,” she says. “Rates of infanticide have remained unchanged in Germany despite the extensive presence of baby hatches, and in the USA, where baby hatches exist in many states, the rate of infanticide remains higher than in Australia. International research suggests women who abandon their babies are not in an emotional state to take the steps needed to locate a hatch and place their baby in it. ”

Prof Healy says baby hatches also are open to abuse and deprive children of fundamental human rights — a claim echoed by the United Nations.

“There is considerable evidence that baby hatches are misused,” Prof Healy says. “In Germany and Japan, baby hatches have been used to abandon older children, for example three-year-olds, disabled children and already deceased children.”

The UN does not support the use of baby hatches, arguing they violate key parts of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states children must be able to identify their parents even if separated from them, and that the state has a duty to respect the child’s right.

Senator Polley dismisses the notion baby hatches should be rejected because they have been abused by a few in other countries, arguing that all welfare systems are open to abuse but still serve an essential purpose to those who need them. “And yes, it is preferable for a child to know its parents,” she says. “But isn’t it more preferable for a child’s life to be saved?”

Prof Healy believes preventing the tragedy of child abandonment lies in better support for vulnerable women. “In the majority of cases the pregnancy is concealed yet most of these women (who abandon their babies) give birth in hospitals,” she says.

“Most of these women have had little or no antenatal care and leave hospital alone without family support. So maternity service providers need to identify and provide special support options to women who appear at the time of birthing with little or no support and without prior antenatal care.

“In addition, support services like youth services, homelessness services and mental health services need to discuss pregnancy prevention and pregnancy support with the women using their services. Any new policy direction needs to respond to the evidence about the circumstances that lead to baby abandonment, which is about mothers who are in crisis and who need support to make decisions in their baby’s best interest.”

While Senator Polley agrees better support of mothers in crisis is needed, she argues it is not likely to be accessed by women at risk of abandoning their baby in a public place.

“In most cases, pregnancies have been concealed,” she says. “Yes, there are structures and services available to help these women, but if you are hiding a pregnancy, or if you have given birth in a school toilet, if you are scared and desperate, you are not going to walk into a government building and ask for assistance.”

Baby hatches, she says, are not a complete solution, but they are an immediate solution to a crisis situation.

Association of Children’s Welfare Agencies CEO Andrew McCallum agrees.

“When a woman is about to abandon her baby, she is thinking about getting rid of a problem,” he says. “She might be operating in a state of fear, she might be in denial, scared of the consequences or depressed. This may not be a time of rational thought.”

But, he says, baby hatches should not be seen as the only solution to child abandonment.

“It’s not an either/or proposition,” he says. “We need to encourage safe acts in the time of crisis, but we need to also think — how do we make services for vulnerable women more accessible?”

Senator Polley hopes the two cases of child abandonment in Sydney will finally persuade Australians that baby hatches have a place here.

“Two things need to happen,” she says. “Legislation needs to be changed, and baby hatches instigated.”

Child abandonment is illegal in Australia. Legislative change would be needed to include exemptions in cases where babies are dropped off at authorised baby hatches.

Senator Polley admits to being frustrated at a lack of responsiveness from ministers on both sides of politics. Perhaps unsurprisingly, conservative MPs have been reluctant to enter the debate, but what has surprised Senator Polley is the lack of support from the left.

“People have said to me that baby hatches could be considered the first step to removing a woman’s right of choice.” The fear is, she says, if baby hatches are introduced, an argument could be put forward we no longer need legalised abortion. “And no one wants to touch that.”

Senator Polley believes what is needed now is a national debate, but first we need a change of mindset. “We judge women more harshly than men,” she says. “It could be that as a society, we are just not ready to forgive women who abandon their babies.

“OK then, let’s have the conversation. And let’s make that conversation not about punishing women, but saving babies.”

Anyone seeking support can contact the Maternal and Child Health Line 13 22 29 or
Lifeline at lifeline.org.au

JOIN THE DEBATE: TELL US WHAT YOU THINK BELOW