Posted on 12/08/2006 7:28:47 PM PST by dennisw
Despite being trapped in a cramped airplane thousands of feet in the air, a pregnant Mexican woman en route to Chicago found herself in the right place at the right time -- giving birth to a healthy baby girl with the help of a fellow passenger. The 42-year-old woman gave birth to a 7-pound, 8-ounce girl approximately a half hour before the plane touched down at O'Hare just before midnight Wednesday, said Eve Rodriguez, Chicago Fire Department assistant director of media affairs.
Baby 'alert, looking around' The woman, a Mexican citizen, was on a Mexicana Airlines flight from Guadalajara when she went into labor. "I was kind of surprised how calm everyone was," said Lori Perez who, along with fellow paramedic Enoch Benson of O'Hare's Rescue Station 3, boarded the plane to take mother and baby to Resurrection Medical Center.
"Mom was in good spirits, she said there was a doctor on board and that she wasn't in a lot of pain."
Perez said that although she didn't catch the obstetrician's name, his handiwork was good.
"The baby girl was not really crying; she was alert and looking around," Perez said.
Airspace matters Mexicana Airlines officials did not return calls to explain whether the woman had presented a doctor's authorization to fly six months or more into a pregnancy, as its own rules require. Whether the baby girl is the United States' newest citizen remains to be seen, according to Maria Elena Garcia-Upson, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokeswoman.
An immigration law provision makes a child born in airspace over U.S. territory eligible for citizenship.
But if the parents decide to file an application, officials will investigate whether the child was born in Mexican air-space or over international waters.
"The parents can go ahead and pursue citizenship for the child if they so wish," said Garcia-Upson.
"But we don't decide on cases like this in a public forum. Facts need to be determined first."
Law is Law she will be proclaimed a US citizen..
"Anchor Baby"? No. "Chock Baby"
Before you get too mad, let me ask this:
Since the mother was apparently attempting to give birth to her daughter in America, and Freeper outdriving mentioned that the baby should be in foster care, the difference between your positions is that 1) outdriving thinks the baby should stay (apparently that she's American), but not with the mother and 2) cajungirl thinks they both should stay, or at least that the baby is American whether the mother stays or not.
It appears that the only difference in your opinions is whether the baby or both should stay. If you say the mother shouldn't stay, because she was reckless obviously trying to "anchor" herself in America, then why should the baby stay? Shouldn't she be with a foster home in Mexico?
If you say the baby is a U.S. citizen by coincidence and the mother wasn't attempting to anchor herself to the U.S., what do you say if she goes home? Did the baby "luck out" and receive U.S. citizenship as well as Mexican citizenship? Does the mother get to jump ahead of all other legal immigrants waiting in line overseas because of the timing of her delivery?
Just askin'.
If I am not mistaken until the wheels touched down, the aircraft would be consider the soverign territory of Mexico as it was a Mexican Airline.
Any international pilots on the thread know for sure?
Post #64 was for you, too.
For sure this woman was trying to get her baby born on US soil. Koreans and a few others like to do this. Wealthy people like to fly here, have their baby born here so he is a US citizen for their future plans. Then they fly back home.
No one flys this pregnant except a scam artist. Scamming the stupid gringos on the 14th Amendment
"There is nothing to be concerned about, by the way, we are out of coffee."
Why should I. This is a transparent attempt to get an anchor baby. It is not wonderful when people jam their way into my house uninvited.
The baby and mother are undoubtedly in a hospital at this very moment. Sponging off the US health care system. No one in FR would fly 8 monthspregnant into Mexico or Europe expecting to use (exploit) a foreign nations health care system
Please put away your Race Card. You are embarrassing yourself by waving it around on this forum.
That's totally 100% false. Up until 1924 when the Indian Citizenship Act was passed, Native Americans born in the United States were not automatically citizens of the United States.
That is not true. Just as Congress could grant citizenship to all Native American tribespeople born in the United States by simply passing a law, Congress can also remove birthright citizenship by simply passing a similar law.
Uh...not too sure about that. I know that merchant ships do not have extra-territorial rights. But on the other hand, warships do. I think you could apply the same logic to aircraft. But then who knows? You might be right.
In accordance with international law, the aircraft is considered the soveriegn territory of the country of origin. In this instance the child was born in Mexico being on a Mexican airliner. It would be the same as if the child were born inside a foreign embassy.
"But on the other hand, warships do [have extra-territorial rights]."
So .... if a pregnant woman was rescued at sea by an American warship in, say, the western Pacific, and then gave birth on the ship - would that be an anchor baby?
Indians are a different case, and a limited one. They were treated as having sovereign status even though they did not have sovereign territories, i.e. they were here first, so they get special treatment.
The law you cite just put them on the same basis as everyone else, gave them the same rights that everyone else born here had, it didn't take anything away from them.
If you want to take anything away from people, you're going to need a Constitutional amendment.
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.