Evening star., 1925-05-23

Certain unalienable rights DR..
Oliver Wendell Holmes said that the
first right of a human being is to be
we'll born, but there appear now to be
other rights which laws of American
civilization are beginning to take into
consideration, such as requiring that
If a baby he transferred" from par
ents to others, whether foster parents
or institutions, the transfer papers
must be legally made out and duly re-
corded, Just as is done with valuable
live stock or personal property.
In New York City great wave of in.
dignation has swept over the public
because perfectly dutiful wife. being
childless in a comfortable home where
both husband and wife longed for a
family, bought a baby for SIS and
foisted it upon her husband as their
own progeny. The supposed father
learned to love his "own blood until
the investigation of the institution
which had sold the baby for S75 :om-
PEELED the wife to confess to him her
deception. Now he orders her to give
up the fraudulent purchase. although
she has become deeply attached to the
helpless victim of civilization"
1t has long been a mooted question
as to whether an illegitimate child
should be taken from its mother and
given to a home, private or a public
institution, where it could be properly
cared for; or, whether the child should
remain with the mother. in the hope
, that maternal love would he developed
and lead the mother into a reformed
life. Whose welfare is to be consid-
cred frst-the delinquent mothers or
that of the innocent baby?
The laws of MARYLAND were so
amended in 1916 as to undertake, at
least partially, to answer that queS-
ton, and forthcoming review made
by the Children'S Bureau of the United
States Department of Labor throws
the spotlight upon astonishing results
of the Maryland plan. The key to the
amendment is that no baby shall be
taken from it's mother within six
months from birth, except upon the
certificates of two reputable physi-
clans showing that the separation is
necessary for pathological reasons. If
the mother is 50 diseased that she
cannot feed her child, 1t may be put
with foster parents, temporarily or
permanently, but the foster parents
must be investigated and the condi-
ton of the child supervised by Off
cial agents until it is of age.
X y X
How many lives have been saved
by that "six-month law?", While the
law affects children of legitimate par
entage, as we'll as illegitimate children,
the result is far greater with the lat
ter class. This fact shows that the
high mortality formerly found among
illegitimates during their first year
was largely attributable to failure of
the mother-love and maternal care
for the unwelcome little ones. From
the Children's Bureau report:
Infants born to unmarried mothers
in 1921 must have had better care
than such infants born in 1915, for
/ in every such infants born in
1915 died before he was / year old,
and l in every before he was 6
months old, whereas / in every 8
born in 1921 died before he was /
year old, and l in every IL before he
was 6 months old. The mortality rate
of infants born out of wedlock in 1921
showed a reduction of more than so
per cent from the corresponding rate
in 1915.
THAT this reduction was Influenced
by conditions which did not affect in.
fants of legitimate birth is shown by
the fact that the rate for these in.
fants was reduced less than 20 per
cent"
The report of the review before
mentioned of the working of the six
month law" referring to the approval
by heads Of reputable institutions
states:
~. remarked OF the advantage o!