Poor, young, and desperate parents, especially mothers, may have the option to properly and safely relinquish newborn infants to recognizing child-caring and child-placing agencies and institutions while remaining anonymous and without fear of being prosecuted for child abandonment under a bill filed at the House of Representatives.
House Majority Leader Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez and his wife, Tingog Sinirangan party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, have filed House Bill No. 4158 proposing a safe haven for abandoned newborn.
The couple lawmakers cited the need to repeal Article 276 of the Revised Penal Code which considers as a criminal act the abandonment of a child under seven years of age by a person upon whom the custody of a child is incumbent, lamenting “that these legal restrictions have not deterred the rising incidence of infant abandonment.”
“Poverty is often a root cause of child abandonment especially when for reasons of economic, social, or psychological distress or incapability, the parents are unprepared to raise their child. However, the fear of criminal prosecution causes desperate parents, often young mothers who are not ready to take on the responsibilities of parenthood, to abandon newborn infants often in unsafe places and in life-threatening conditions,” they said in filing HB 4158.
House Bill 4158 or the proposed “Newborn Infant Safe Haven Act” provides that an infant who is 72- hours-old or younger may be relinquished by his or her parents with a safe haven provider.
“By making the welfare of the newborn an immediate concern and ensuring their health and safety, this bill provides an alternative that could save the life of newborn infants and ensure that they are protected and provided with medical care until a permanent home is found for them,” they said. (Charissa L. Atienza)
