Dec 17 (Japan Times) - The operator of Japan’s only “baby hatch†said Saturday that the nation should allow women to give birth anonymously at hospitals in cases of unwanted pregnancy, while ensuring the children’s right to learn their mother’s identity after they grow up.
Jikei Hospital in the city of Kumamoto said many of the women who have anonymously turned over their newborns had given birth in precarious circumstances, such as inside cars, while feeling unable to tell anyone about their pregnancies.
"Allowing anonymous childbirth in hospitals will be effective in protecting the lives of both mothers and babies," said Takeshi Hasuda, deputy head of the hospital.
Under the proposal, mothers who wish to give birth anonymously at hospitals would leave their identities in sealed documents at an administrative institution. The hospital would help with the children's upbringing through adoption and other means, while the children would have the right to know their mothers' identities after reaching a certain age.
Source: ANNnewsCH
