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MeMyselfAndI
Oct 31st 2011, 12:33 PM
New service to take in unwanted infants

VIDEO

In city Perm soon will open Russia's first "baby box" - a special window, where mothers, who have decided they do not want their babies, can leave them anonymously; the initiators of the project think this way they can save those children, who at present are often killed by their own mothers.

The authors of Russia's first "baby box" count on people trusting medicine. This is a special window in the wall of a birth clinic, where a woman can leave her newborn, if does not want to raise him/her herself. The difference from the usual child rejection procedure - complete anonymity. The initiators say they can save children from imminent death. Details from Yulia Grabovskaya.


The baby box is literally - box for baby. A place for a mother to bring her unwanted or unneeded child. And, most importantly, do so anonymously. Often, such women fear exposure and public shame. First, they hide their pregnancy, and then kill the newborn. More then 60 such "killer mothers" have been arrested in Russia in the last half of year.


Evena Коtova, head of project "Cradle of Hope":
- This is an alternative to the trash bin, trains, railway stations, where such unwanted infants are left usually. If a woman suddenly decides she cannot raise her child herself, let her leave him with us. Then, we save 2 people for the society: the woman does not become a criminal, a murderer, and that little human being stays alive - one more citizen for the Russian Federation.


Perm - is the first Russian region, where following the example of the Baltic republics they decided to try the baby box.


Yulia Grabovskaya, correspondent:
- They started talking about baby boxes in Perm in spring. After the shocking case of a killer mother from nearby village Kondratovo. The woman had two children within a year from each other, 2010 and 2011, and drowned the last one in a bucket of water.


Elena Danilina was found sufficiently mentally capable. For the infanticide, she was snetenced to 3 years in a penal colony. Her four other children wait for her at home.


Tatyana Kondakova, head inspector of Children and Youth Affairs Department of Perm krai police:
- The mothers usually explain: "I am alone, no husband, I could not bring him/her up myself...".
According to Kondratova, killer mothers and those that leave their children on the street - are usually not alcoholics or narcomaniacs, who do not care about the life of a child. Usually, these are poor, lone mothers, with a brood of other children, who cannot feed another mouth, but are afraid to publically reject their newborn, often for cultural or religious reasons.


The baby boxes would cater to such women.



After Perm this fall "windows of life" will open in Krasnodar krai. other regions have also showed interest, including Moscow. By a "United Russia" initiative a law project on creating these baby boxes in already being discussed in the Duma.


Elena Danilina, who drowned her newborn daughter, will learn of this in prison. The baby boxes were not in time to save her child. But they will preserve many others.
Yulia Grabovskaya, Aleksandr Potaev, Aleksei Gusev. "TV Center", Perm.

http://beta.tvc.ru/ShowNews.aspx?id=82e91f9d-06d9-42c3-a92e-686641586679&date=24.05.2008

This is at a time when laws on abortion are being strictened:
Russia Enacts Law Opposing Abortion

By SOPHIA KISHKOVSKY

Published: July 15, 2011

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/15/world/europe/15iht-russia15.html

Russia Adopts Stricter Abortion Law (http://www.turtlebayandbeyond.org/2011/abortion/russia-adopts-stricter-abortion-law/)

Posted on | October 21, 2011 by Stefano Gennarini |
http://www.turtlebayandbeyond.org/2011/abortion/russia-adopts-stricter-abortion-law/

Donkey
Oct 31st 2011, 12:44 PM
Well, I am definitively pro-choice, but kudos to the anti-choice folks actually providing a viable alternative for young mothers.

Of course, what happens to that baby once it is boxed is kind of a pertinent question.

MeMyselfAndI
Oct 31st 2011, 01:18 PM
Well, I am definitively pro-choice, but kudos to the anti-choice folks actually providing a viable alternative for young mothers.

Of course, what happens to that baby once it is boxed is kind of a pertinent question.

I am guessing he or she will end up in a Children's Home
http://ohansk.narod.ru/dd.jpghttp://photopolygon.com/photo/fit/350/8354/44728.jpg.700
From there, either he/she will be adopted; or will grow up there, which entails a good likelyhood of a poor, criminalised existance. Not for everybody, I know some fine people who were raised in Children's Homes. But, the majority... Things happen in those homes. Just a year ago, a directress of a girls' Children's Home in the Komi Republic was arrested: she ran a brothel with the older girls on the second floor; and set up a sweatshop-type mini-factory with the younger ones in the basement, making socks and T-shirts and such. This is far more common then people know. Those children have no rights. They are often horribly abused and exploited...

Donkey
Oct 31st 2011, 01:21 PM
I am guessing he or she will end up in a Children's Home

From there, either he/she will be adopted; or will grow up there, which entails a good likelyhood of a poor, criminalised existance. Not for everybody, I know some fine people who were raised in Children's Homes. But, the majority... Things happen in those homes. Just a year ago, a directress of a girls' Children's Home in the Komi Republic was arrested: she ran a brothel with the older girls on the second floor; and set up a sweatshop-type mini-factory with the younger ones in the basement, making socks and T-shirts and such. This is far more common then people know. Those children have no rights. They are often horribly abused and exploited...

That's kind of what I expected... being in foster care in the USA is no joke either.

Michael
Nov 1st 2011, 05:34 PM
Sounds like a good idea. That's pretty rare coming from the anti-abortion set. :shrug: