Babies are often abandoned where they will be found
Newborn twins have been left in a hospital car park in Birmingham and police hope their appeals to find the mother mean the family will be reunited. But what usually happens to abandoned babies?
They have been named Joseph and Holly by nurses at the hospital where the newborn twins were abandoned. The "adorable" brother and sister were left in a sleeping bag inside a supermarket box in the car park.
In 2004 a total of 49 babies were abandoned in the UK, according to the most recent Home Office statistics. This figure was down on 57 in the previous year. A lot of parents are never traced, leaving their offspring with no name and no knowledge of their family.
Slightly more baby boys are abandoned than girls, according to research by the Royal Free and University College Medical School in London. Infants are most likely to be left in the first few hours after birth and in places where they are likely to be found.
Sympathy
There are no national guidelines for dealing with such cases, but usually when a baby is abandoned police, health care professionals and social services get involved. Often the child is kept at the hospital for a few days and then given to foster carers. Eventually they will be put forward for adoption.
It is a criminal offence to abandon a child under the age of two, as is cruelty or neglect of a child. Many police forces now have officers specially trained to deal with such cases. Appeals to the parents are made as sensitively as possible, as they are often in a traumatised state and need help.
According to research, society judges people who have abandoned newborn babies in a much more sympathetic way than those who leave older children.
WHO, WHAT, WHY?
A regular feature in the BBC News Magazine - aiming to answer some of the questions behind the headlines
There are no firm conclusions as to why babies are abandoned. Some psychiatrists believe that mothers - especially young ones - can become overwhelmed by the presence of something that they denied for nine months. When the baby is born, the distressed mother can lose contact with reality for a brief period of time and may abandon her child.
Often the women can be suffering post-natal depression or feelings of inadequacy. In some cases, parents may see abandoning their child as an alternative to abortion or leave their baby believing the infant will have a chance of a better life. Economic, as well as emotional and social factors, can play a part.
Identity
When the babies grow into adulthood their mental health may be at risk because they were abandoned, say experts. They may require support and often this can vary depending on if they were abandoned to die or abandoned to be found.
it's so sad when babies are abandoned, we often can't understand the reason why a mother should do such a bad thing to her baby. This article helps understanding the big sufference which hides beheind this crime. Thank you for your comment to my post, have a nice day
