Sask. ponders safe abandonment law for newborns
Last Updated: Wednesday, May 23, 2007 | 8:28 AM CT
CBC News
With two newborns abandoned in less than six months, it may be time for the province to consider safe abandonment legislation, Saskatchewan's justice minister says.
Frank Quennell made the comments when asked about a newborn baby boy left in a Wal-Mart washroom in Prince Albert Monday.
"We haven't considered any legislation around this issue yet but I guess one is an incident and two might be a trend so it may be an area we want to look at," Quennell said Tuesday.
Earlier this year, a newborn baby was dumped on a stranger's icy doorstep in Saskatoon. The mother was tracked down but she was not charged.
A safe abandonment law would allow a mother to drop her newborn baby at a designated place, free from the fear of criminal prosecution.
Prince Albert police are still looking for the mother of the baby boy found this week. They will not say whether they will charge the mother if they find her.
The baby remained in hospital Tuesday in serious but stable condition.
Meanwhile, two Prince Albert case workers who deal with pregnant women and babies say people should not judge this unknown mother too quickly.
"I think everyone's desperate in different ways," Bobbi-jo Lafontaine said.
"All of our pregnant girls are desperate, each in their own way. Obviously this kind of desperation was extreme, but everyone's desperate in their own way."
The fact this mother left her baby boy in a public place where he would be found shows she cared about him, added Nikki Hovdebo.
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