“Baby Hatch” hospital mulling allowing deliveries by anonymous mothers

December 16, 2017

Kumamoto- Jikei Hospital, which operates a "konotori no yurikago (stork's cradle)" baby hatch, in the city of Kumamoto is considering allowing women to give birth to children anonymously there, it was learned Friday.

The anonymous birth system "is expected to reduce risks of nonhospital deliveries to mothers and babies," said Takeshi Hasuda, deputy head of the hospital in the southwestern Japan city.

"It will also enable hospital staffers to keep in touch with mothers after childbirth and make them rethink (plans to abandon their babies)," he noted.

According to Hasuda, Jikei Hospital, the only institution in the country that accepts babies from anonymous mothers who cannot raise them, is going to introduce a system similar to one that Germany has implemented since 2014.

Specifically, women will be allowed to give birth to their babies anonymously at the hospital if they deposit at administrative authorities sealed envelopes that contain proof of their identity.

Assuming that those mothers cannot rear the babies, the hospital aims to design the system so that the babies can be adopted by foster parents.

Hasuda also said children born of anonymous women will be able to know who their real mothers are because the envelopes can be opened when the children reach a certain age.

The hospital plans to inform the Kumamoto city government of the anonymous birth initiative in January.

Pointing out that foster parents' adoption of babies born under the confidential birth program is indispensable for the babies to have family registries, Hasuda said, "Developing an administrative system (to facilitate the adoption) is needed."

"We'll take time consulting (with authorities) to move forward," he added.

Meanwhile, the municipal government called on the state government to consider introducing anonymous birth-related legislation.

"A single local government, or a single private hospital, cannot solve all problems women have with their pregnancy," Kumamoto Mayor Kazufumi Onishi said. Jiji Press