Edmonton’s Covenant Health is investigating the possibiltiy of creating a program similar to one in B.C. that allows mothers in crisis to safely abandon their children. While no decisions have yet been made, Covenant Health officials are planning to travel to Vancouver to investigate the program.
The B.C. program, called Angel’s Cradle, was used for the first time in Canada just recently. A two day old baby was left at an the emergency room entrance at a B.C. hospital, and thanks to the new program, the baby will now get the care it needs, a healthy future and hopefully a good home.
Once the child is dropped off, the province of B.C. takes over as the child’s legal guardian.
"We then are required to advertise and follow reasonable steps to locate the birth mother if we can." Mary Polak, B.C.s Minster of Children and Family Development said. "If that’s not possible, then we do set about to plan for the adoption of that child."
Under the B.C. program, the parents of the child have up to six months to reclaim their baby after an adoption has taken place.
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