Mother abandons twins; is sought for prosecution

Okay, granted, I am a little torn in this one.

But first, the article:

Police searched Thursday for the mother of healthy newborn twins who were found abandoned in the vestibule of a church.
...
Illinois law permits parents to leave unharmed babies three days old or younger at hospitals, emergency medical centers, or police or fire stations. A church does not qualify, and authorities said the parents could be prosecuted.

Alright, so the Mom had a bad day and decided to ditch her kids. I am not going to judge her.

And I suppose the law is simply just being enforced.

The way I initialy felt when I first read the story was relief that she left them clean, dry, fed, and at a public location that would be safe. Then I was mad at the police for looking for her. I mean, maybe she didn't do the right thing, per se, but she really did more than what others usually wouldn't. And from the article:

"I'm glad the mother at least made an effort to put them in a place where they could be found quickly, rather than a Dumpster," said Dr. Steven Ross, who examined the twins.

And I think that is what should count!

Am I wrong? Besides her act being morally shameful and nauseating (that isn't the debate here), who is more wrong? The mother or the police? It is easy to cry the mother, but didn't she do as well as she could?

Ok I am going to reply to this.
First - as we all well know in today's society people abandon children even in thier own homes. Most don't make the conscience decision to actually leave them in an environment where someone else can care for them.
Here is the issue for me. Birth control. It's simple and in alot of states free for those that can't afford it. This would eliminate the need to abandon a child to begin with.
She may have done the right thing by our standards as poor as they may be but now the child may live a life in a foster home or orphaned the rest of his/her life. What about the child?

Well, I didn't want to debate that point, but, here goes:

I think that the children will be just as well off as any other children would be in a foster home or orphanage (do those even exists any more? They must be called something else.)

I mean, if that child stuck with its mother who obviously didn't want them, what kind of life would they have? I am not sticking up for the mother here. I am just being objectionable. I do not know her. I do not know the circumstances. If she is poor, addicted to a drug, or mentally incompetant, she did what she deemed best given her situation.

Another point is, what is so bad about leaving the children? Is it as bad as giving them up for adoption? Would that have been a more aesthetic choice for her? Would we as a society more readily embrace that?

I don't want to debate that either but my real point was birth control. How hard is this? What is it that people don't understand about it?
Chances are that the baby will be adopted by loving parents that want/need another child
But these things raise other issues and make news for a reason. Why are we abandoning our children?
This woman's circumstance we may never know but I believe in her situation she made the right choice but why did she have to make that choice? Why can't we take care of our own? This is the bigger question

Originally posted by DDay
I don't want to debate that either but my real point was birth control. How hard is this? What is it that people don't understand about it?

That is so hard to say. There are many many possible reasons.
1. Mom can't handle the pill/shot/patch, etc.
2. Allergies.
3. Religious.
4. Pride.

The list goes on. And yes, there are those that are just plain lazy, stupid, naive, ignorant, or all of the above.

Chances are that the baby will be adopted by loving parents that want/need another child

I can hope. And the sooner the better.

But these things raise other issues and make news for a reason. Why are we abandoning our children?

It is an awesome power that parents can hold. Thier entire life is changed so radically. They can sculpt their child to be anythingthey want it to be. That can be good. But that can be a scary and overwhelming responsibility. Fear would obviously get to the better of some of them. An addiction is another reason. She has poisoned and her mind can only think of her next hit. Or she is mentally ill, and was just trying to have a little dignity.

This woman's circumstance we may never know but I believe in her situation she made the right choice but why did she have to make that choice? Why can't we take care of our own? This is the bigger question

I don't know what sort of thought processes it took to make this decision. Maybe it took her hours. Or a couple of days. If she wasn't concerned about getting doped up, then I must assume that she was thinking that she simply could not handle the burden. It is sad. I admit, there have been days when I wish I would have made a different choice...for their sake. Perhaps, too, some aren't as strong willed as others.

They can sculpt their child to be anythingthey want it to be.

Anyone who believes this hasn't ever had children.

I agree. The only reason why I was posting that is because once that realization dawns, raising a child can become a very scary responsibility. It is so easy to make a huge mistake.