Baby hatches are incubated safe spots where parents can anonymously drop off unwanted infants. After a couple of seconds an alarm goes off alerting the appropriate workers that a newborn is inside the box. The time delay for the alarm allows the parent time to leave without being seen. These hatches are found mostly at churches, hospitals, and non-profit organizations. Hatches have been around for centuries; they were called foundling wheels and were present in many villages during the Middle Ages. The use of baby hatches has recently returned, and they can be found in many countries including Germany, Pakistan, Japan, China, and South Africa. These countries provide hatches with the intent that if a family is not able to take care of an infant, they can surrender it anonymously to a safe place instead of turning to infanticide or hiding them where they will eventually be found dead to exposure. There are many issues when discussing baby hatches: responsibility of the parent, legal rights of the children and the morality and ethics of the hatches. It is a simple fact that baby hatches save the lives of many children around the world; however, some people argue that they are changing the meaning of parenthood. The negative aspects of baby hatches are brought up such as; irresponsible parents, legal issues for both child and parents, and ethical issues but the main purpose of these hatches is to provide a safe haven to save the lives of newborn as a last resort.

Those who oppose the use of Hatches are usually associated with some sort of religious group or people who have heard of Hatches only in the news. Those people who hear about Baby Hatches from the news are only informed about the misuse and mistreatment of the Hatches. These critics of Baby Hatches believe that Hatches  provide irresponsible parents with the opportunity to drop off newborns without consequences. This viewpoint is one major topic to be focused on in the final research paper. Some say that simply because the hatch exists, it creates a demand for unwanted children and society seems to be approving of parents abandoning newborns.  This would mean that without the Hatches there would be no demand for unwanted children so there would be none.  This is untrue; if Hatches did not exist parents would turn to other means of ridding themselves of the child. This is not what people should be dwelling on when discussing Baby Hatches. Babies were being abandoned long before the Hatches existed, but now there is a safe way to go about such a terrible circumstance.

The fact that it is anonymous bothers many because organizations such as Sexual Health Switzerland believe it will lead to an easier decision of abandonment than if it were not anonymous(Fenazzi). The anonymity of the baby hatch puts less pressure on the parent. This argument means that if the parents had to publicly abandon a child it would lead more parents to keep them out of embarrassment or fear of social rejection. Dr. Maria Herczog, a member of the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child, argues that   "the boxes have no impact on infanticide rates," because if a parent was going to kill their newborn they would commit the act whether the baby hatch was an option or not (Paramaguru). Numerous studies such as, "Is the Introduction of Anonymous Delivery Associated with a Reduction of High Neonaticide Rates in Austria?"  proves this claim false and shows a significant drop in infant murders.

The government is more concerned with the legal aspect of the Baby Hatches and the issues they can cause. One subject of focus concerned is the right of the child to know his or her birth parents. Since the box allows for anonymity, it is almost impossible for a child to find his biological parents in the future as many wish to do. This information can be critical to the establishment of independence and identity when growing up. This opposing viewpoint fails to realize that if the government were to focus on laws about the identity of the biological parents and if laws were to be in place then the whole concept of the box would be ruined and mothers would turn to abandoning children on the streets again. The child's right to life should be the first and foremost and is more important than knowing the identity of their biological parents, who did not want them. The belief that parents who wish to keep their identity a secret are being selfish and irresponsible is incorrect. Many do not consider the fact that the mother may be desperate and alone without any support from family and friends.

Another legal drawback is that many people believe that when mothers drop off their child, the father is unaware of her actions. They worry that the father may want to know what happened to the infant, and in some cases, he could have taken care of the child. The roles are also reversed in this argument claiming that a reckless father or relative could drop off the child without the mother's permission.  This viewpoint focuses more on the woman's right and if she consents to the abandonment of her infant. This would be improper use of the Hatch and would be the result of irresponsible parents but this is not a common occurrence for Hatches.

Baby Hatches are largely considered "a legal gray area" in many countries because there are no concrete laws on whether using the Hatch is legal or not (Fenazzi). Many countries, such as Australia, do not allow a woman to give birth anonymously in hospitals and the right to know ones parents is considered one of the child's most basic human rights. However, child abandonment is allowed if poverty is confirmed or if mental and physical health are in danger. There are no clear laws on the legal basis of Baby Hatches on which to base future legal cases where Hatches  are involved.

Many places allow the parents up to 8 weeks to return for their child after this time period the child is put up for adoption. This allows the mother to get her life together for the betterment of the child. Noted main reasons for dropping off an infant are poverty, childbirth out of wedlock, mental distress, and objections from family members. There are people who do not face these major conflicts and still abandon their child simply because they can. Some reasons that have been given for abandonment of a child by the study, "Should we maintain baby Hatches  in our society,"  is a parent could not find a childcare program in time for the parent to return to work or they would not be able to raise a child because they would be studying overseas.

The intention of the baby hatch was to be a safety net for newborns and only to be used as a last resort. There have been cases where toddlers, up to the age of three, have been received. Just because some people abuse the system of the Hatches does not make the entire operation a terrible idea. There is debate that the rate of abandoned children has gone up due to the fact that the baby hatch gives people the ability to easily not take responsibility for their children.  Psychologist, Kevin Browne, reason that because it is so simple and easy to drop off the newborn without identification that the mothers face great emotional distress and trauma because they are less likely to seek the help they need(Evans). Each Baby Hatch has a "letter to mother" that provides helpful information on seeking professional help if need be.

More and more baby Hatches  have been popping up in Asia to handle the increase of abandoned children. One reason for this influx of infants is due to restrictionson family size. Many of the newborns abandoned are girls or have health issues. This is because families in Asia are trying to keep their family name alive by raising the healthy boys. In addition, many families cannot support financially or emotionally a sick child. Instead of letting the small human suffer, they can be provided with the necessary health care. 
Baby boxes proponents focus on the fact that they were made to save the lives of newborns that are in truly desperate situations. If the Hatches were not an option, parents would turn to neonaticide, the murder of newborns, or leaving the child in a hidden place with the hopes it will be found before its death. Neither one of these options are a human method to rid oneself of a helpless child. There have been reports and studies that show the rate of neonaticide has gone down greatly since the establishment of these safe havens, which is a helpful alternative to those in desperate need, instead of murder.

My research has opened my eyes to the draw backs and possible abuse of baby Hatches but it still does not trump the fact that numerous helpless lives are being saved with the use of these boxes. I still need to conduct more in-depth research on the supports of the Hatches and more reasons that they are useful to society instead of harmful. I have plenty of information on the negative side of the Hatches and in my final paper I could easily argue the issues that the critics proclaim. I could also do more research as to alternatives to the baby Hatches and possible effects they will have on the future. The research done thus far has really informed me on the issues many face with the difficulties of the world when newborns are involved.
