Drop Your Unwanted Infants Off Anonymously

Malaysia Opens “Baby Hatch” For Abandoned Babies

"The cries of an abandoned baby boy echo in the nursery at Orphancare, a Malaysian charity that helps orphans find adoptive parents.

He is the only child here and does not have a name. But in many ways he is seen as one of the lucky ones.

He was left in a baby “hatch” – the first in the country – designed to allow mothers to leave their babies anonymously.

The charity hopes it will rescue more unwanted newborns, as the authorities seek to stem the rising number of abandoned babies.

Close to 500 babies have been found abandoned since 2005. Some were left in Muslim prayer halls, on doorsteps and even in rubbish bins. Many are found dead.

It is thought these children are mainly abandoned by single mothers. Having a child out of wedlock is still seen as deeply shameful in this Muslim-majority country, where sex education is mainly focused on abstinence."

Looks like abstinence programs work just as spectacularly well wherever they're embraced.