The controversy "mailbox" to "drop" unwanted newborns who were settled in the United States.



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At the end of 2018, they set up in the United States the seventh Indiana "baby mailbox", intended for single mothers, with the aim of avoiding abandonment and loneliness. ;infanticide.

The "mailbox" functions as an incubator because it is equipped with temperature controllers and sensors.

When a baby is placed inside, a silent alarm goes off to alert the emergency services and allow the child to be picked up in less than five minutes.

In Russia, you can also find mailboxes or boxes to place babies. (BBC)

From the Safe Haven Baby Boxes organization, they claim that it is "a last resort" and claim that "the goal of the mailboxes is to fight against Infanticide that occurs when mothers, often young and unsafe, give birth completely alone and they are not able to cope with the situation. "

"These young women do not want to make themselves known or see them, especially in small towns where everyone knows each other," they explain.

However, there is no consensus to say that it is a good idea. Only three states have approved legislation providing for the installation of mailboxes, and Indiana has the largest number. In Ohio, there are two, while another should soon be installed in Pennsylvania. In New Jersey, they expect the law currently under discussion to be approved, according to an article published by the BBC.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder vetoed the law and said, "I do not think it's appropriate to let parents abandon a baby just by depositing it at the same place rather than entrusting it to the baby. to a police officer, a firefighter or a hospital employee. "

There are baby mailboxes in different countries, like the one in Warsaw, Poland. (BBC)

What the law says

Abandoning a baby in the United States is illegal, but the Safe Haven law has eliminated the criminal aspect if the baby is delivered to a safe place or if someone is within their reach.

Texas was the first to approve it in 1999, then the other 49 states followed. According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, 131 babies have been born since they started registering cases in 2004.

Although "mailboxes" are presented as an alternative, it is still difficult to verify their effectiveness, reported the BBC.

For Safe Haven Baby Boxes, the tests appear with the use and emphasize that since 2016, they have already been used three times. In each of them, they say, it is likely that the baby did not survive.

A police station with the sign indicating that it is a safe haven for babies. (BBC)

A medieval idea present in several countries

The "mailboxes" began to appear in the United States. in 2016, but the concept dates back to the medieval era.

"They were known as children found with wheels and were basically cylindrical drums next to hospitals, churches and orphanages," the BBC reported.

In the last 20 years, they have reappeared and can be found in several countries such as Pakistan, South Korea, Poland, Malaysia, Russia, Germany and Switzerland.

They are usually donated by charities, such as Safe Haven Baby Boxes, which explains why there are about 20 people already programmed and they have managed to raise funds to build another 100.

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