Baby dumping may be classified as attempted murder or murder

2010/08/13 By Rozanna Latiff and Daniel Bariga

KUALA LUMPUR: The cabinet has asked the police to probe into baby dumping as attempted murder or murder cases, Datuk eri hahri!at "alil said yesterday# he said the cabinet agreed that the go$ernment should take sterner action to stop baby dumping# %The go$ernment has no choice because o& the rising number o& cases# Despite the $arious initiati$es, baby dumping is still happening#' The (omen, &amily and community de$elopment minister said not only the (omen in$ol$ed in baby dumping (ould be brought to )ustice, the men, too, (ould be prosecuted# %*e ha$e taken a (el&are approach all this (hile but the problem continues# %The go$ernment cannot allo( this state o& a&&airs to continue and that is (hy the classi&ication (ill be changed to attempted murder or murder#' Under the mo$e, hahri!at said police, acting on the ministry+s re,uest, (ould start classi&ying in$estigations as attempted murder, or i& &ound (ith intent, murder# Police ha$e recorded -. baby/dumping cases so &ar this year, compared (ith 01 &or the (hole o& last year# Tougher measures, she said, (ere re,uired as baby dumping could no longer be tolerated# %Dumping a baby only to see the child &ound dead in places such as dustbins and toilets is an inhumane act# 2t is tantamount to murdering an innocent person#' hahri!at said she put &or(ard the re,uest to 3ome Minister Datuk eri 3ishammuddin 3ussein during the (eekly cabinet meeting on *ednesday# Police are no( in$estigating baby/dumping cases under the 4hild Act 5..6, and those &ound guilty, &ace imprisonment o& up to 6. years# 3o(e$er, those charged under the Penal 4ode &or attempted murder or murder (ithintent &ace up to 7. years+ )ail or the death sentence, respecti$ely# hahri!at said cases in$ol$ing underage parents (ould continue to be dealt (ith under the 4hild Act but added that it (as up to the "u$eniles+ 4ourt to decide (hether they should be tried as adults#

he said she had also re,uested &or Deo8yribonucleic acid 9D:A; pro&iling to be carried out to ascertain the identity o& parents o& abandoned babies# %This is the only (ay to bring those responsible &or the death o& a baby to )ustice,' she said# hahri!at said there (as no e8cuse &or couples or parents to abandon their babies, gi$en the a$enues a$ailable &or them in seeking help# he said un(ed parents unable to care &or their children should approach the $arious institutions under the ministry or the *el&are Department# imilar to <rphan4AR=, the country+s &irst baby hatch, the 6.> district (el&are o&&ices, -. institutions and ?? clinics set up by the ministry are open to parents to gi$e up their children &or adoption# %They can also approach the police, local hospitals and clinics, e$en the nearest Umno branch, i& they truly need help,' said hahri!at, (ho is also *anita Umno chie&# The ministry had also embarked on an a(areness programme at public and pri$ate institutions o& higher learning nation(ide to educate young people, seen as a high/risk group, on the conse,uences o& unprotected se8 and the options a$ailable &or young un(ed parents# he said some o& the programmes (ould be tailored to young males to educate them on their responsibilities as parents and se8ual partners#

Baby dumping: Paying for our fault

2010/08/16 AZRUL MOHD HAL!B" #ala L#$%#r letter&'n&t()o$ ! AM )on)erned a*o#t t+e re)ent anno#n)e$ent t+at t+o&e ,+o a*andon *a*ie&" if t+e *a*ie& die" *e in-e&tigated for $#rder or atte$%ted $#rder ./Ba*y d#$%ing $ay *e )la&&ified a& atte$%ted $#rder or $#rder/ 00 123" A#g 134(

Reports o& babies &ound buried, dumped in dumpsters or (rapped in plastic bags and thro(n into ri$ers ha$e understandably in&lamed and outraged the public# 3o(e$er, in&lamed and outraged sensiti$ities and misguided good intentions (ould )eopardise the &uture o& hundreds o& young (omen# Decisions such as these must be based on (hat is best &or the (el&are o& those concerned, including the mother, and to see that )ustice is ser$ed# There are too many policies (hich aim to punish and harm, and &e( (hich seek to help and pro$ide support &or those in need# 2t is not right &or us to &ocus our anger and &rustration on the young (omen (ho are themsel$es $ictims o& Malaysian society@s neglect# This baby/dumping phenomenon is a direct result o& our society@s &ailure to ackno(ledge and address our blinkered $ie(point o& se8, and &or allo(ing our personal religious con$ictions to dictate public health and education policies o$er pro$en, pragmatic approaches# *e ha$e created a hostile en$ironment (here young (omen (ho &ind themsel$es pregnant out o& (edlock ha$e $ery &e( places to turn &or help# *e ha$e heard, and some o& us e$en support, the call &or those committing illicit se8 to be stoned to death# :o go$ernment healthcare &acility o&&ers abortion ser$ices &or un(anted pregnancies or e$en condoms and se8ual health in&ormation &or couples# *e ha$e been debating &or decades on (hether or not to pro$ide comprehensi$e se8 education to our children# *e &orget that they gro( up anyho( but (ithout the critical in&ormation (hich allo(s them to abstain &rom se8, practise sa&e beha$iour and make good decisions# omeho(, (e e8pect them to kno( all this and then (e delegate that responsibility to others# More o&ten than not, (e depend on blind luck &or our young to kno( right &rom (rong in religious, moral and social norms#

*e tolerate and, as recent e$ents sho(, ha$e been seen to encourage or A&orceA underage or child marriages in the misguided and simplistic belie& that marriage (ill sol$e premarital se8 and baby dumping# The head o& Kuala Lumpur 3ospital@s <bstetrics and Bynaecology Department (as ,uoted as saying that in cases o& children born out o& (edlock, the mothers (ere belo( 6C and did not kno( they could get pregnant i& they had se8 9AThree more cases o& abandoned babiesA // : T, Aug 6>;# Reality and pragmatism seem to ha$e no place (hen dealing (ith se8# Det, (e ha$e so little tolerance &or mistakes and are all too ready to punish those (ho are products o& our neglect# <b$iously, those (ho dump babies do so out o& desperation and are o&ten scared young girls# A precious &e( Ababy hatchA &acilities and a helpline established recently (ill not sol$e this problem instantly# They are merely band aids on a gaping (ound (hich (ill continue to &ester regardless o& this measure# This ruling to classi&y baby dumping as murder or attempted murder (ill un&airly $ictimise these girls# 2t (ill result in more young (omen in such circumstances li$ing in &ear, and because most o& them cannot a&&ord the necessary procedure, they (ill increasingly resort to unsa&e abortions that may cost them their li$es# The men responsible, on the other hand, (ill o&ten go unpunished# A person 2 kno( o&, a young girl o& 60, became pregnant out o& (edlock last year# 3er mother, (ho (as adamant about getting rid o& the percei$ed shame, (as determined to abort the si8/month/old pregnancy, regardless o& the danger to her daughter@s li&e# <b$iously, the li&e o& her daughter meant less than the &amily honour# A&ter much persuasion and ensuring the trans&er o& the girl to a shelter, the pregnancy (as brought to term and the child adopted by a ne( &amily# he has been able to continue her education# he could easily ha$e been one o& the girls (ho secretly ga$e birth and dumped the baby# As &or the &ather o& the baby, his (orry ceased (hen no pressure (as e8erted on him to be responsible# This determination to punish seems to be clouded in our sel&/righteousness and blood/lust# Policy decisions such as this must be based on e$idence and research, (hich should sho( that se$ere punishment (ill result in actual deterrence# *e are reaping (hat (e ha$e so(n# As a result o& our continued &lip/&lopping on the issue o&

se8ual reproducti$e health education and the inability to summon the courage to pro$ide rele$ant ser$ices &or un(ed couples, (e are sacri&icing them on the altar o& sel&/righteousness and misguided ideals# Ultimately, this measure (ill not bring the babies back but it (ill increase the number o& $ictims# 3a$e (e done all that (e can to help these (omenE 2 appeal to the cabinet, especially to the *omen, Family and 4ommunity De$elopment Ministry, to retract this puniti$e instruction# The ministry should consider strengthening its (el&are and social net(orks to pro$ide impro$ed and pragmatic se8ual reproducti$e ser$ices to all#

Baby dumping: Nurture right values in the young

2010/08/18 HAL!MAH MOHD 2A!D" Da$an&ara Heig+t&" #ala L#$%#r letter&'n&t()o$ 2O5!637 $#&t *e #n,a-ering in )onde$ning *a*y d#$%ing a& t+e $o&t de&%i)a*le and +eino#& a)t t+at any +#$an i& )a%a*le of( 3+ere8& no 9#e&tion t+at it $#&t *e )ategori&ed a& a )ri$e e9#i-alent to $#rder if it re&#lt& in t+e deat+ of an infant(

The degree o& criminality can be seen as surpassing e$en that o& murder considering that the perpetrator@s intent is moti$ated by sel&ish considerations such as the shame o& disco$ery or the &ear o& responsibility# Treating a ne(born child like a piece o& trash is a monstrous act, no matter ho( much emotional or psychological pressure the parents or their accomplices are &acing, and they must be charged accordingly# The &re,uency (ith (hich baby dumping is occurring points to a complete breakdo(n in moral $alues, the irresponsible people (hose se8ual acti$ities result in the conception and birth o& a child (hich they decide to abandon# *e are aghast that &or all our modernity and sophistication, a ne( kind o& in&anticide is erupting# *e are shocked that its perpetrators are the young men and (omen nurtured by the $alue systems (ithin our o(n community# *hile society must rightly condemn their deeds as criminal, to be placed (ith other crimes against humanity, it must also accept the responsibility o& ha$ing produced these errant indi$iduals# *hen has the shame o& an un(anted pregnancy become more di&&icult to bear than thro(ing a(ay your o(n childE 3a$ing premarital se8 and concei$ing a child out o& (edlock are certainly not phenomena that ha$e suddenly emerged# ociety has not suddenly become se8/oriented# Unmarried people, young and old &rom all cultures, succumb to se8ual temptations# Un&ortunately, some couples are either careless or ill/in&ormed and their illicit acti$ities result in an un(anted pregnancy# Depending on their o(n domestic set/up, they either get support &rom their partners and &amily or are re)ected by them# <ne can heap blame on a number o& things at $arious le$els: personal, peer in&luence, &amily, community, the media and publicity, and e$en ine&&ecti$e go$ernment policy or programmes# The easy access to pornography is said to be an immediate cause o& rampant se8ual acti$ity and un(anted pregnancies# The breakdo(n in communication at all these le$els has gi$en rise to a moral phenomenon threatening to turn sordidly criminal (ith more copycat cases emerging daily#

2t is right that the go$ernment has taken the drastic step o& categorising baby dumping as a criminal act amounting to murder i& it meets (ith all the legal speci&ications o& one# The religious and educational authorities must play their part in organising community programmes and collaborating (ith parents to nurture the right $alues in the young# The so&ter approaches, like (el&are aid, rehabilitation and counselling, (ill &all into place once (e admit that the issue is dead serious and needs to be urgently addressed#

Baby dumping: Girls need help, not jail

2010/08/18 L!L7 :U" A$%ang" 2elangor letter&'n&t()o$($y M7 +eart goe& o#t to t+e *a*ie& a*andoned *y t+eir yo#ng $ot+er& o#t of de&%eration(

ociety is ready to point &ingers at the mother (ho dumps her baby# he (ould not ha$e resorted to such a desperate act i& her partner (as there &or her, i& her parents &orga$e her and i& the community sho(ed some sympathy &or her and the unborn child, instead o& ostracising her# 2t takes t(o people to produce a baby# Gut in almost e$ery ne(s article about teenage pregnancies and baby dumping, there is hardly any mention o& the &ather# For all (e kno(, he could be a &amily member, a married man or e$en a $ery important person# *hy is the man absol$ed o& responsibilityE And (hen it comes to solutions, it is the same# *e talk about setting up a school &or pregnant teenagers, a shelter &or pregnant unmarried mothers and hotlines &or pregnant girls# *hat about counselling &or the &athersE *hat about teaching them to be more responsible and accountableE :o(, the cabinet has directed police to classi&y baby dumping, leading to the death o& the child, as murder# And (ho (ould the AmurdererA beE The un(ed teen mother, o& course# The &ather gets o&& scot/&ree# 3is girl&riend takes the entire rap // nine months o& child/ bearing plus a )ail sentence# 2 ,uote &rom :e( unday Times columnist Hainul Ari&in: A2t is not a coincidence that the o$er(helming ma)ority o& cases o& children being abandoned a&ter birth occur among the Malay Muslims#A *hy is this soE Unless and until the Muslim community ackno(ledges the problem and seeks (orkable solutions, not punishments, the issue o& teenage pregnancy and baby dumping (ill not go a(ay any time soon# :on/Muslim parents generally do not condone pre/marital se8 but they are more pragmatic

about it# They kno( they can@t keep a 5>I0 (atch on their teenagers# 2& their daughter gets pregnant or i& their son makes a girl pregnant, o& course, the parents (ill be angry# Gut they kno( it is their parental duty to help the young couple &ind the best solution, (hich is usually marriage and &inancial help to raise the baby# There is no talk o& punishment# Perhaps there is something to be learned there# Mothers (ho dump babies need help, not )ail#

Baby dumping: Amend law

2010/08/18 M(;(D(" #ala L#$%#r letter&'n&t()o$($y ! R6:6R to t+e re)ent &%ate of d#$%ing of ne,*orn&(

The dumping o& babies could be because o& young girls yielding to their boy&riends@ se8ual ad$ances and belie$ing their promises to marry them# Gut, sometimes, boy&riends go back on their (ord and lea$e them in the lurch (hen they disco$er their girl&riends are pregnant# 2n such a situation, some girls may resort to dumping their babies because they are o$er(helmed by a sense o& shame and the social stigma o& being an un(ed mother# ome may decide to undergo an abortion# ome may e$en decide to end their li$es, as (ell as their unborn child@s, to a$oid the shame and dishonour that they could bring to themsel$es and their &amilies# All these things happen because o& the se8ual &a$ours gained by deceit and trickery by their predatory se8ual partners# A la( should be passed that i& consent &or se8 is obtained through deceit, it should be classi&ied as statutory rape 9similar to statutory rape &or se8 (ith minors;# The perpetrator can then be charged and con$icted more easily &or rape#

Baby dumping: Early intervention can curb problem

2010/08/16 1O6L :( D8OL!<6!RO" !%o+" =era> letter&'n&t()o$ !1 order to #nder&tand t+e %+eno$enon of infant a*andon$ent" one $#&t #nder&tand t+e $agnit#de of i&&#e& )onfronting t+e $ot+er& of t+e&e )+ildren(

The mothers o& abandoned babies ha$e &e( resources and are o&ten struggling (ith insecure or inade,uate housingJ physically, se8ually and emotionally abusi$e relationshipsJ and mental illness or drug addiction# Most o& the mothers (ho commit acts o& public abandonment are young, unmarried and physically healthy &emales and pregnant &or the &irst time# They resort to sel&/imposed silence and isolation during pregnancy# 2@m sure they are (illing to care &or their in&ants i& not &or the circumstances# *omen (ho kill or discard their ne(borns generally ha$e no plans &or the birth or care o& their children, and do not recei$e prenatal care during their pregnancy# 2n the case o& public abandonment, these (omen are o&ten not mature enough to (eigh thought&ully their options or the conse,uences o& their actions# Reasons &or killing or discarding in&ants include e8tramarital pregnancy, rape, illegitimacy and percei$ing the child as an obstacle to personal achie$ements# A better understanding o& the characteristics and circumstances o& these mothers, and tracking the e8periences o& discarded in&ants, (ould pro$ide a complete picture o& societal implications in this problem# =arly inter$ention ser$ices such as placement o& abandoned in&ants in a home and counselling &or the mothers/to/be are needed to curb this problem#

a!e se" education part of syllabus

lettersKnst#com 5.6.I.CI5A L<T has been said and (ritten about the astonishing number o& baby/dumping cases in the country# 2 (rite this letter because 2 (as shocked by $ideos clips going around in cyberspace sho(ing schoolboys and girls 9in uni&orms and (ith the school badges clearly $isible; in compromising situations# 2& this is (hat students are up to in public schools these days (hen they should be studying and (here teachers are present at all times, then it is hardly surprising that assault, se8 and e$en rape happen in schools# And i& carnal acti$ities are rampant in public schools, then (hy (ouldn@t babies be dumpedE These students are clearly at the stage (here their hormones are running riot and they are starting to e8periment (ith se8# *hat should be the proper response to thisE e8 education, o& course# There is nothing that anyone can say or do that (ould stop teenagers or young adults &rom being se8ually acti$e 9and most babies dumped ha$e teenage or young adult parents;# 3o(e$er, the sad &act remains that the go$ernment seems to be against se8 education, and the root cause o& baby dumping is not addressed# UT3243A:A T3ARMAPALA:, Kuala Lumpur 2mpractical T3= All *omen@s Action ociety 9A(am; is disturbed to learn o& De(an Pemuda Pas Pusat@s proposal to curb the social problems caused by the Amingling o& the se8esA and A&ree se8A, such as baby dumping, through encouraging the practice o& nikah gantung among youth# <ther proposals include aid to young couples &or marriage, incenti$es to encourage marriage, lessening bureaucracy and &ree marital courses# Marriage does not and (ill not sol$e problems such as un(anted pregnancies and baby dumping# =ncouraging marriage // e$en AsuspendedA, or other(ise // among young persons in this (ay is purely a (ay to legitimise relationships, se8ual or other(ise, regardless o& (hether these relationships are healthy and responsible# This (ould ha$e disastrous conse,uences &or youth (ho lack the maturity, kno(ledge and skills to cope (ith adult responsibilities re,uired &or marriage# Furthermore, marriages are legally binding and as such, partners ha$e legal responsibilities that they are re,uired to &ul&il, such as maintenance# Are young persons capable enough o& &ul&illing all these obligationsE <ur opinion is that Amingling o& the se8esA is not a problem in and o& itsel&, but the problem is the (oe&ul lack o& a(areness o& rights and responsibilities related to se8uality among

young people# Doung people are ha$ing se8, and many o& them are ha$ing unprotected se8 (ith alarming regularity# That is the cause o& many un(anted pregnancies# Until e$eryone, including religious parties such as Pas, takes a cold hard look at reality and proposes practical, sensible and immediate solutions &ree o& $alue )udgments, the serious problems related to un(anted pregnancies and baby dumping (ill continue# 3A L2:A3 DA@4<G, President All *omen@s Action ociety, Petaling "aya, elangor A mis&ortune 2 R=F=R to the article A:o place &or baby dumpingA by Haharah <thman 9: T, Aug 5>;# The concluding statement reads: AThat baby, )ust like all other babies brought into the (orld in this manner, deser$ed to be lo$ed, not dumped, physically or e$en mentally#A This is &ine (riting that (ill catch the imagination and emotions, but has nothing to do (ith reality# My e8perience is that &or a child to be born (ithout a &ather and (ithout a &amily is a great mis&ortune# 2& your &ather and mother don@t lo$e you, chances are no one else (ill# 3umans ha$e an inborn desire to kno( (here they come &rom and also to kno( that they belong some(here solid and de&inite# Dour origins, your parents, your relati$es, your people, your hometo(n and your country are the essence o& (ho you are, and the person (ithout them is like a tree (ithout &oliage // bare and alone at the mercy o& the storm# 2 used to think that un(ed mothers (ho indirectly try to kill their babies by dumping them in unsa&e places should be gi$en the death penalty &or trying to destroy li&e# Gut no(, 2 think they should be gi$en the death penalty t(ice, i& that (ere possible# <nce &or trying to kill the baby and a second time &or trying to kill the &amily institution (hich is the only guarantee o& a happy and prosperous li&e# MAR2 A D=M<R2, 2poh, Perak

Baby dumping: #ertility education a must

2010/08/23 A22O5 =RO: DR M(L( 1A?!MUD661 Mela>a Mani%al Medi)al 5ollege" Mala))a letter&'n&t()o$($y !3 i& di&t#r*ing to note t+at @A2 ne,*orn *a*ie& +a-e *een a*andoned in t+e la&t fi-e year& and t+at 6B *a*ie& ,ere d#$%ed *et,een ?an#ary and A#g 18(

Malaysia is a country (ith rich cultural heritage and dignity# *hat (ent (rongE 4an (e sol$e the problem by legalising teenage marriagesE *e ha$e to understand and admit that promiscuity has increased among adolescents# 3o( can (e pre$ent un(anted teenage pregnanciesE =ducating teenagers about &ertility, use o& contracepti$e methods, termination o& un(anted pregnancies and legalising teenage marriages can minimise the discarding o& ne(born babies# 2 ha$e been in$ol$ed (ith the care o& pregnant teenagers &or more than 5. years# Most o& these young girls (ere not a(are that they had become pregnant# They simply belie$ed that the period (as delayed until it (as too late# They did not belie$e that one or t(o se8ual e8periences could make them pregnant# They also thought that proper penetration (as necessary to become pregnant# 2 ha$e seen many pregnant mothers (ith their hymens intact# 2t is surprising that the o&&enders are o&ten inside the house, rather than outside# 2nnocent girls ha$e been made pregnant by their step&athers and stepbrothersJ schoolgirls ha$e been molested by bus dri$ers# =ducating the teenagers about &ertility is a must to pre$ent teenage pregnancies# This could be introduced in the school curriculum# A care&ul syllabus should be prepared by e8perts in this &ield# Teenagers must be educated on contraception# ince 5..5, there ha$e been -7,>C0 pregnancies among under/6?s in =ngland and *ales, a total o& 57 conceptions e$ery single day among girls too young to legally ha$e se8# 2t is a &act that 67 million children are born to (omen under the age o& 5. (orld(ide e$ery year# *e cannot hide oursel$es &rom the reality# There (as a $ery high rate o& teenage pregnancies in candina$ian countries a &e( decades back# Fertility education and contraception reduced the un(anted pregnancies remarkably# *e should learn lessons &rom these countries# 3o(e$er, (e should be care&ul that the a$ailability o& contracepti$es should not be a green light &or teenagers to ha$e early se8# Termination o& pregnancy should be legalised to some e8tent, particularly to girls (ho are in no (ay responsible &or the un&ortunate e$ents# They must be protected and gi$en a ne( li&e#

Many babies are thro(n out because the marriage o& the teenagers is not $alid# The parents o& the teenagers are prepared to take the grandchild but there are hassles (ithout legal marriage# The birth o& the in&ant, &or instance, cannot be registered properly# Reducing the age o& marriage can $ery much reduce the number o& babies thro(n out to die#

$A case for more baby hatches$

2010/08/1C By !li Liyana Mo>+tar and Daniel Bariga ne,&'n&t()o$($y

KUALA LUMPUR: Or%+an5AR6" t+e ad$ini&trator of t+e nation8& fir&t *a*y +at)+" i& #rging non0go-ern$ental organi&ation&" +o&%ital& and )lini)& to &et #% *a*y +at)+e& in -ie, of t+e in)rea&e of *a*y d#$%ing )a&e&(

2ts president, Datuk Adnan Mohd Tahir, said yesterday the centre had sa$ed se$en babies, si8 o& (hom had been adopted in the past t(o months# The se$enth baby (as dropped o& yesterday by a rape $ictim# Adnan said the mother o& the (eek/old baby (as an 6C/year/old student (ho (as raped by a 5?/year/old man# AThe baby boy (ill be put up &or adoption once (e get the documentation done# 2& (e can sa$e se$en babies, )ust think ho( many more can be sa$ed i& there are 6. centres around the Klang Lalley#A The si8 babies, comprising t(o girls and &our boys, (ere dropped o& at the hatch anonymously# AAll o& them (ere ne(born e8cept &or an 66/month/old, (hich (as a uni,ue case as the guardian could not take care o& the baby any more due to poor health,A said Adnan# 3e said :B<s, hospitals and clinics in other states should set up baby hatches at strategic locations# A ome young mothers do not ha$e the means or are not in the right condition to tra$el here to drop o& the babies# o, (e need more baby hatches to sa$e more li$es#A Adnan said <rphan4AR= (as helping t(o hospitals in the Klang Lalley to set up baby hatches but declined to name them# A*e (ould like other hospitals and clinics to approach us as (ell# :o baby should be le&t to die in deplorable conditions )ust because its mother does not kno( (here to turn to#A The organisation is also looking to (orking (ith uni$ersities and colleges in se$eral a(areness programmes in <ctober# AMany are una(are o& our e8istence and (e are (orking hard to address that#A <rphan4AR= has >.. parents (aiting to adopt babies#

The baby hatch (as launched on May 51 by *omen, Family and 4ommunity De$elopment Minister Datuk eri hahri!at Abdul "alil# 4ouples or mothers (ho are unable to care &or their babies can drop them at the centre, (hich has a strict policy in sa&eguarding the identity o& the parents to protect them &rom being persecuted or prosecuted# The setting/up caused a storm o& protest (ith some ,uarters arguing that the baby hatch (ould encourage premarital se8# <thers, mean(hile, lauded the mo$e (hich they said (ould help cut do(n the rising number o& abandoned babies in the country#

%atch a practical solution, for now

2010/06/1C 1#raina 2a$ad n&a$ad'n&t()o$($y 2O far t+e rea)tion +a& *een one of &+o)> and #tter di&$ayD /O+ $y ;odE O+ no" not anot+er oneE/

There is also a tangible sense o& helplessness, (hich is understandable because it is a problem that you and 2 are not able to deal (ith or o$ercome# :ot by oursel$es# And certainly not by the end o& this year, or the ne8t# Tell me, ho( does this grab youE Gaby dumpingJ disco$ering dead babies, usually ne(born# 2n the last si8 months, ha$e you not been shocked, appalled, dismayed by the all too &re,uently reported cases o& abandoned babies, some o& (hom (ere &ound deadE The &re,uency is so alarming that you kno( something is so (rong in our society# Dou kno( (hat you can put your &inger on, but you can knock yoursel& out trying to &i8 the problem (hich, by the (ay, is shocking e$ery(here else, too# 2t is a good sign that people in Malaysia ha$e not been numbed by the &re,uency o& the occurrences# 2t sho(s that it is not being dismissed as Aone o& those thingsA# o, be&ore it does become a senseless crime that has &ound a (ay o& being part o& Malaysian li&e, something must be done, surely# 4onsider the &act that as o& April, there ha$e been 5> cases o& babies abandoned in, among others, a rubbish dump# There (as a case o& a baby &ound dead in a ri$erJ another &ound buried# These are tragic and the circumstances leading up to them must ha$e been e,ually tragic# The number o& these cases is (ay too high &or any decent society# Unless (e consider oursel$es other(ise, (e cannot be unperturbed# ometime this year, (hen reports o& abandoned babies seemed to come in succession, someone suggested that their &athers be castrated# *hether or not it is a good idea is ,uite immaterial# 2t sho(ed desperation in trying to deal (ith (hat seemed to be an insurmountable problem# 2t gets trickier because it touches on moral and religious issues# Also by the &act that these babies (ere born out o& (edlock# 2t is about shame and the treatment o& shame by a society that is ha$ing to deal (ith &ast/ paced socio/economic change and trans&ormation#

2t (as not surprising that (hen <rphan4AR=, a non/pro&it non/go$ernmental organisation, decided to set up a baby hatch at its premises in Petaling "aya // the &irst in the country// reactions (ere mi8ed# <rphan4AR=@s ob)ecti$e is straight and simple // to sa$e un(anted babies# :o(, isn@t that goodE To the naysayers and critics, it is a bad idea because it (ill encourage premarital se8, out/o&/ (edlock babies, and o& course the dumping o& these babies at the hatch# Premarital se8, 2 hate to tell you, is here to stay until and unless (e drastically change the (ay (e li$e our li$es in this modern (orld# 2magine, e$en among married couples and the most educated in the (orld, accidents do happen# Gut married couples ha$e options // to keep or terminate an un(anted pregnancy# Un(ed girls in our society don@t because society cruci&ies them &or their carelessness, recklessness, and complete disregard o& moral and religious $alues# 2@m con$inced that the girls (ho abandoned their babies are no criminals but (ere dri$en to criminal acts by the situation they (ere in# Gy their sense o& helplessness and desperation# That said, their act o& abandoning babies cannot be condoned# till, 2 can ne$er look at them as criminals# o (hat do (e doE Keep on getting (orked up e$ery time a case o& baby/dumping is reportedE At this stage, (e can blame e$eryone and e$erything, but that@s not going to sa$e the babies because the (orld (ill still go round and crimes get committed# The &act is, that latest statistic on baby dumping (ill not be the last# o, ours should not be to moralise# <urs is to help better society in the best (ay (e kno( ho(# And society must (ant to be helped# ure, (e should be educating our kids on se8 and related sub)ects# =$en this is being debated and no decision is likely to be made soon# =$eryone@s doing their bit to educate society on compassion and humanity# Any positi$e and constructi$e outcome (ill not be immediate because (e are made up o& di$erse people o& di$erse belie&s and con$ictions // not all o& them good# Mean(hile, (e ha$e un(ed girls getting pregnant and dumping their babies, a serious problem (ith no solution in sight, e8cept the &ast and &urious &rom moralists and the religious right# *hich is a solu/tion either impractical or unacceptable# *e can debate (hat is (rong (ith our rapidly changing society in a rapidly mo$ing economy

until, as they say Athe co(s come homeA, and (e@d still be arguing the petty points, going no(here, achie$ing nothing# Gaby hatches are not ne(# They ha$e been in e8istence through the centuries, &rom medie$al times# The reason &or their e8istence (as and still is, to rescue and sa$e un(anted babies# The baby hatch in Petaling "aya, opened on May 7., is modelled on similar ser$ices in Bermany, Pakistan and "apan# The hatch has a small door (hich opens to an incubator bed on (hich a mother can place her baby# <nce the door is closed an alarm bell (ill alert the :B<@s sta&& to the baby@s presence, a&ter the mother has le&t# :o( that it is in operation, <rphan4AR= and the *omen, Family and 4ommunity De$elopment Ministry, (hich is supporting this initiati$e, should (ork on details and procedures a&&ecting &ollo(/up action on the adoption o& these babies# The baby hatch is not a permanent solution# 2t (as ne$er meant to be# Gut it is clearly the most practical solution under the circumstances as it o&&ers sa&ety and security &or these babies, and the (omen (ho &eel that they ha$e no other option# Until and unless (e can make right the (rong in our society, a hatch that rescues and sa$es babies (ill ha$e to do#