Baby box

201521615 Eun Ah Ko

Do you know baby box? Baby box is another name of baby hatch. It might be
unfamiliar with people and most of people havent heard about baby box before. Or
even some people know about baby box somehow, they might not know what
exactly it is. Baby box is a box where people can anonymously bring unwanted
infants and leave them to be found and cared for. Basically, baby box is consist of a
door or flap in an outside wall which opens onto a soft bed, heated or at least
insulated. Sensors in the bed alert carers when a baby has been put in it so that they
can come and take care of the child. This baby box has been operated in more than
20 countries including Korea, Japan, America, and some other European countries
(Lee 2015). However, baby box has a lot of negative problems.

The first problem is about social problems. Because of baby box, there can be
made social atmosphere to give up their babies easily. If there are a lot of baby
boxes in public, people would take the baby box for granted. And also people would
take throwing babies for granted (Park 2015). Therefore, it makes negative social
atmosphere to give up their babies. For example, we can find a lot of articles about
the exposure of a baby. According to articles, babies are abandoned by single moms
or the parents who are too young to raise their babies. Moreover, because of baby

box, it is hard to adopt babies from baby box. We should have the memorandums of
custody abandonment when we adopt babies. But most of the parents who are throw
their babies away at baby box are reluctant to reveal themselves. So it is hard to find
the parents of babies. Then babies who are thrown out at baby box are hard to
restart their lives with new families.

The second problem is about parents who throw their babies away at baby box.
They can lose sense of guilt. Because there are a lot of baby boxes in public, people
might think that baby box is legal equipment to give up their babies. If they start to
think like that, then they might feel comfortable even at the moment they throw their
babies away. They can feel relieved by baby box because they dont throw their
babies at dangerous spaces like the street or toilet. They throw their babies at baby
box which is security space for babies. So they cant have guiltiness because they
think that they just lay their babies at baby box unwillingly and it is the best option for
their babies (Jung 2012). They think that their babies might be okay if their babies
are in baby box. Also, because of baby box, parents can shift their responsibilities on
others easily. If someone is pregnant, then she has the responsibility for her baby.
Parents have to take responsibility for their kids because they make a new life. Of
course making a new life is free, but taking responsibility for this new life is
obligation. However, people can easily rely on baby box which can replace their
responsibilities (Lee 2014).

On the contrary, some people who advocate of baby box program claim that baby
box can protect babies from being deprived of their right to live as human being.
They mean that babies come to baby box is basically abandoned from their parents.
So if there was no baby box when parents cant afford to raise their kids or just dont
want to raise their kids, the kids might be exposed to any kind of abusing from their
parents (Kim 2013). However, it is a big mistake. Baby box might seem useful
program for babies. But we have to think about it more deeply. Baby box is useful
just in the short run. Baby box just functions as a temporary residence for
abandoned babies. It cant take responsibilities for babys whole life. Therefore, the
insistence of baby box advocator is unconvincing.

In conclusion, with all that drawbacks, baby box might seem safe equipment for
babies by external primary dangers. But after that, we have to consider more
seriously that baby box is not the methods which can protect babies truly. We can
think 2 solutions about problems of baby box. First solution is amending the current
rules. If there are rules for people who have unwanted babies by carelessness or
sexual violence, and people who are single mom, then they can solve these
problems legally (Sin 2015). For example, they can get legal abortion or pills. Also,
single moms can be supported for their living expenses like facilities or subsidies.
But the most important solution that we all try to do is to change our awareness. We
have to cherish babies. We should think making new life more seriously and deeply.

And to think that throwing babies away is terrible action that we must not do.

Works Cited

Lee Wyuan Gu. Carrying the hope on baby box1: [Nexenmedia], 2015. Print.

Park Mi Hyang. Carrying the hope on baby box 2: [Nexenmedia], 2015. Print.

Jung Chang Lok. Moral controversy of baby box: [Medical Ethics Society of Korea],

2012. Print.

Lee Mi Jeoung. Baby box and abandonment of babies: [Genderreview], 2014. Print.

Kim Sang Yong. Baby box and anonymous geburt: [Institute of law], 2013. Print.

Sin Dong Hyun. Baby box in German and law of secret birth: [Comparative law
enforcement in Korea], 2015. Print