TX - Newborn left at fire station, CPS still not happy

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Texana

Texana

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I find this rather infuriating: A newborn baby was left at a far west Houston fire station--although not in the most common spot, still left according to the Baby Moses law in Texas, which says that a mother can leave a child up to 60 days old at a fire station or hospital without repercussions.

The authorities want to question the mother now. CPS says that the child should have been handed over in person.

I think these are ridiculous critical remarks to someone who obviously is in physical and emotional trauma after giving birth, who follows the law by putting the child at the fire station, to then suggest that the bio mother hand off the child in person.

Let's see how hard we can make it for people who feel they can't raise a child, to give up that child.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=local&id=5753249
 
The Baby Moses Law was created so these mothers would not have to answer to CPS/police etc... I hope they leave this mom alone! She chose this path for a reason. I am proud of her for choosing this instead of the alternative we have seen so many times!
 
Bless the mother who did the right thing and did not harm her baby!

VB
 
Texana said:
I find this rather infuriating: A newborn baby was left at a far west Houston fire station--although not in the most common spot, still left according to the Baby Moses law in Texas, which says that a mother can leave a child up to 60 days old at a fire station or hospital without repercussions.

The authorities want to question the mother now. CPS says that the child should have been handed over in person.

I think these are ridiculous critical remarks to someone who obviously is in physical and emotional trauma after giving birth, who follows the law by putting the child at the fire station, to then suggest that the bio mother hand off the child in person.

Let's see how hard we can make it for people who feel they can't raise a child, to give up that child.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=local&id=5753249
Click to expand...

Yup, yup! Then act outraged next time a mother kills her child rather than dropping it off in a "safe" place.
 
I didn't read the article quite the same as some. CPS seemed concerned more about the location where the child was left. Obviously, if a parent leaves the baby where it can be easily seen, then there is an increased chance they will be seen, so the location was out of the beaten path. So CPS seems to be saying they wish the parent would leave the baby directly in the hands of the fire officials, not with CPS. I believe the law prevents the fire officials from asking any questions, but I am sure that a parent in such a circumstance does not rely on that representation.
 
The child could have died, so very easily. I don't think it's useful for CPS to go after the mother at all, in any way - but to give this a lot of publicity to say that you need to give your child to a person, or at the least drop it on the doorstep and ring the bell - something.

Going after this mother though, will make the next mother nervous, maybe too nervous to do the right thing.
 
Details said:
Going after this mother though, will make the next mother nervous, maybe too nervous to do the right thing.
Click to expand...

This is always my concern when I hear stuff like this.
 
I understand the concern that the child was left in a not so obvious location.

I think it would be far easier to build into the firemen's routine checking the perimeter of the building twice a day or so, or when opening up the station, rather than expecting a physically and emotionally unwell new mother to think clearly.

Particularly a mother who might have very well hidden her pregnancy.

I just couldn't believe CPS would issue a statement like "We'd like for her to hand the baby over in person." Talk about unrealistic expectations!
 
Next time, a mother will probably think twice and just abandon the baby or worse. Sometimes i really think DHS workers do more harm than good, they are akin to nazis sometimes.
 
I agree, Texana. The mother is probably young and scared and possibly hiding her pregnancy. I'm trying to put myself in the mothers shoes. Maybe she placed the baby someplace out of the way for the safety (in her mind) of the baby.
 
While I can understand CPS reasoning, the child would be exposed to the weather until found, might not be found etc. I can also understand the Mother's reasoning. What do you expect from a baby? That a baby will will cry and that that crying will draw attention.
The story reminds me of some stories about old orphanages. The had a "drop box" at a gate and a bell. People dropped off the baby in the box, and rang the bell and left. Thus allowing the child to be left safely, and allowing the infant to get immediate attention.
Still that isn't likely to be done at all fire depts and hospitals across the country.
 
mysteriew said:
While I can understand CPS reasoning, the child would be exposed to the weather until found, might not be found etc. I can also understand the Mother's reasoning. What do you expect from a baby? That a baby will will cry and that that crying will draw attention.
The story reminds me of some stories about old orphanages. The had a "drop box" at a gate and a bell. People dropped off the baby in the box, and rang the bell and left. Thus allowing the child to be left safely, and allowing the infant to get immediate attention.
Still that isn't likely to be done at all fire depts and hospitals across the country.
Click to expand...

I read something recently about a place that has a "drop box" type of thing. I'm not sure where it is, but it's in a safe covered spot and is checked frequently. There may even be a video camera inside the box or in the area around the box.
 
I hope they don't make a huge effort trying to find her, and I hope she doesn't feel compelled to make herself known. She's scared enough right now.

They should be thankful the baby is alive.

I do worry about the mom's health in these cases. If she's not checked out by an ob-gyn, she could have excessive bleeding or get an infection if everything didn't come out with the baby.
 
This is bullcrap, becuase if CPS gets their hands on this case, there might be a reunification plan in place. The mom did the right thing here. CPS has many other at risk kids they should be worrying about.
 
Apparently CPS gets to decide if leaving the baby at the fire station actually fulfills the Baby Moses law:

"Investigators are trying to figure out if this case falls under the Baby Moses law. The law has changed just a bit. The child has to be 60 days old or younger. The baby also has to be unharmed and dropped off at a hospital or fire station. CPS will determine if Saturday's case fits under the law. "

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=local&id=5753249

Yep, she left the baby at the fire station, but they have to decide if that counts as leaving the baby unharmed at a fire station.

Frankly, I think this falls into the "Let's see how hard we can make it for people to give up their children when they can't raise them properly" category of thinking.
 
And we all know CPS is so qualified to make decisions in Houston. Just look at the kids who had coke in their systems. CPS in Houston so wisely gave them to the grandmother when they knew the parents where living there. Great thinking on their part. I am so very impressed. One working even watched a roach crawling on one of the kids during an interview prior to the 'coke event' at the hospital. Guess that was clean enough for her.

That is as bad as the orphans in Nueces County living in a place so infested with rats they were bitten. CPS must have thought that wise too.

I think that they need to just be thankful the child was left at the fire station and not in a box in the water. The more they publicize looking for mothers who are following the Moses law, the more likely we are to hear about another child being murdered at the hands of a parent.

Women who are leaving their children at hospitals and fire stations face enough of an obstacle of the heart, they shouldn't have to peer in to often disapproving eyes or relate any personal info. They are making a difficult decision, to give their child to someone who can better care for it. No need to make that decision any more painful than it must already be.
 
Right, Froggier, couldn't agree with you more. The track record for Harris County CPS (and Fort Bend County) is/are nothing to brag about, and yet they are saying they wish the mother had handed the child over in person.

Why? Because that would make it so much easier for the paperwork issues?

Froggier, do you recall the other horrific child abuse case in Fort Bend County/Sugar Land a couple of years ago or last year? The six month old infant wasn't expected to live, the trauma was so severe. She had suffered a nightmare of abuse, I think she even had a lacerated tongue that was almost severed--poor baby!

The older toddler sibling had been returned to the mother even though there was clear evidence of abuse caused by the father. The mother went back to the boyfriend/father and the grandparents looked the other way. Eventually the parents lost custody and the grandparents were denied visitation, and the two girls were adopted to a loving family. But oh, the trauma that infant suffered for life--it was shocking.

A morning routine of "walk the perimeter of the building" or even a couple of times a day is not that hard for the firemen and much more realistic than expecting the birth mother to get the baby in just the right place.

I am shocked at the headlines here, "Investigators would like to talk to the mother." What a terrifying thing that might be to a mother who has hidden her pregnancy!

Like you said, better than leaving her child in a plastic box to wash ashore somewhere. :banghead:
 
LinetteH said:
The Baby Moses Law was created so these mothers would not have to answer to CPS/police etc... I hope they leave this mom alone! She chose this path for a reason. I am proud of her for choosing this instead of the alternative we have seen so many times!
Click to expand...

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: Exactly!
 
The reason to wish she'd handed the child over in person is because the infant almost died. It was a very close thing. A little luck someone walked a different way, and paid attention to a faint cry. Without that luck, the infant would have died from the cold. A morning routine walk is not going to do it - an infant can't survive that long in the cold before dying.


I'm of two minds on this - it's a great thing she tried to hand her child over, but she did almost kill it.
 
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