I don’t know how to put it in words, but there’s just something not right with these baby drop-off boxes. No, I wouldn’t rather have the parents throw the child in the dumpster, but I don’t feel it’s any less macabre to anonymously just leave a child in a box.
On the one hand, I don’t want to encourage people by making it easy to hand off a child anonymously, and on the other hand, you could argue it’s going to happen anyway, you might as well make an option to save a baby this way. I don’t feel confused, I just feel ambivalent.
As do I, but said ambivalence is overcome by the fact that a child has a much greater chance of getting adopted and having a shot at a decent life while an infant. So the logical part of me overrides the emotional part.
The mother doesn’t want to have to look anyone in the eye for fear that guilt and shame will overwhelm them and their decision to give the child up.
Even when you know it’s the right decision, you second guess yourself and change your mind from moment to moment. You don’t want to answer questions, you just want to make it as swift and clean a cut as possible.
there have been baby drop off boxes as long as there has been christianity. many many convents and monestaries had them for the pagans.
In the old days you might open your door and find a basket and a baby with a note pinned on its swaddling cloths.
In the old days you might open your door and find a basket and a baby with a note pinned on its swaddling cloths.