KUMAMOTO — Japan's first "baby hatch" was set up in a hospital in Kumamoto City, southwestern Japan, on Tuesday to enable parents who cannot care for infants to anonymously drop them off and will start operating in mid-May. Jikei Hospital on April 12 began work to install the baby hatch after the municipal government allowed the installment on April 5 amid controversies that it may encourage parents to abandon their children. A window near the door will be decorated with a stained glass, allowing parents who come to drop off their baby not to be seen from inside the hospital. A bell rings if the door is open, and an alarm at the newborn babies' room at the hospital's second floor will go off to notify staffers there who are on duty 24 hours. Tuesday, May 1, 2007 at 13:30 EDT SimpleToRemember.com - Judaism Online |
