Posted on 06/18/2004 4:27:35 PM PDT by missyme
Soledad (AP) - A teenager was arrested Thursday on charges that she gave birth to a baby girl inside a portable toilet and left her there.
The newborn girl was found in lying in waste at the bottom of the toilet, according to a police report from the Monterey County Sheriff's Office. A farm worker pulled her out after hearing the child's screams.
Paramedics rushed the girl to Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital and she was later transported to Lucille Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto.
"I think if the baby had been another half hour to an hour longer there, we probably would not have been able to have done much more," Dr. David Kasting, of Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, told KION-TV in Salinas.
Lucille Packard spokeswoman Sarah Bass said the baby was in critical condition.
Police interviewed field workers and found out that one female worker went home sick earlier Thursday complaining of stomach pains.
Detectives contacted the woman at her home and she admitted to abandoning the baby, according to the report.
The woman, whose name has not been released, was arrested and taken to Natividad Medical Center in Salinas.
This is the second baby to be abandoned in Northern California in less than a week.
Another woman abandoned her baby outside a San Jose bar on Sunday.
Under the Safely Surrendered Baby Law, parents can leave their babies inside hospitals with emergency rooms, some fire stations and other sites without giving their names or answering any questions.
The law gives parents 14 days to reclaim their babies before they are put up for adoption.
Prayers for the Poor Baby..
What the heck is wrong with the world..
My prayers too...
We are praying for a family who just lost their newborn today.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1082401/posts
Sometimes things do not make sense to me...but I pray.
Please don't blame the world. It's an individual's irresponsibility.
Not blaming the world as people in the world that seem to be tossing there babies in the trash and killing there children, what in the world makes them think to do such an act...
California especially, you can drop off your baby within 48 hours at a hospital, no questions asked.
WHAT KIND OF FREAKIN' INSANE LAW IS THAT???!!!
The idea is to encourage people who would otherwise kill their children to turn them over to the state... giving them a chance to take back the baby would make them more likely to give it up in the first place.
A dog in the street has more common sense and decency.
Sending prayers for this baby to pull through...
I wish we could take her.
Your clarification well taken.
Yes, I understand that part, but it's fuzzy thinking (typical libspeak). One who might put the child in danger of death rather than "turn it in" is beyond the pale. The child should NEVER be given back to someone who abandons it, even safely. The "no questions asked, no punishment" part should be sufficient motivation.
Sorry for the delayed reply; I had to FReep & run yesterday!
Make that "typical libthink". Oh, wait, they don't think; they FEEL!
So the mother might put the child in mortal danger in the future, as evidenced by her choice not to (by safely abandoning the it in the first place)?
Mothers who change their minds about abandonment may not be regular June Cleavers, but women who make the choice to take their babies back would be doing so without that same psychological pressure and thus I should think would be very unlikely to harm the child. Women generally do not choose to take in children for the purpose of slaughter*. When they do kill their children, it is usually because they are feeling extreme psychological pressure and are not in a decent state of mind.
* This is perhaps the nicest thing I have ever said about women. Don't expect me to top it any time soon. </kidding>
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.