A look at China's "baby hatches" for unwanted infants
By SETH DOANE CBS NEWS June 27, 2014, 7:23 PM
GUANGZHOU, China - The Chinese government said this week that a program to care for abandoned babies has been overwhelmed and as a result many infants are dying.
In 2011, China opened what it calls baby hatches -- where desperate parents can leave a newborn. A medical team is supposed to pick up the infant within 10 minutes.
But now, some baby hatches are closing because orphanages are full. Here's what happened to one couple who used a baby hatch.
Their cramped home is filled with the toys 34-year-old Chen Dafu bought when his wife was pregnant.
"I got this one for free," he says, holding up a rubber duck. "My family is so poor - we try all means to get gifts for the baby."
But when their daughter was born, she had Down syndrome, a cleft palate, tumors and breathing problems.
"The doctor told us to prepare to pay more than $1,000 a day for treatment," said the mom, Zhen Yulin. "How could we afford that?"
Their combined income was just the equivalent of $800 a month.
more:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-look-at-chinas-baby-hatches-for-unwanted-infants/
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