Baby Placing ‘Under Control’

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31662, 24 April 1968, Page 1

Baby Placing ‘Under Control’

fN Z. Press Association)

WELLINGTON, April 23.

The Minister of Health and Child Welfare (Mr McKay) said tonight that while the increasing number and proportion of illegitimate births in New Zealand had affected the time taken in placing some babies for adoption, there was no real evidence to indicate at present that the situation was not under control.

“If further investigations seem warranted these will be undertaken,” he said.

« Mr McKay was replying to a

statement by the matron of St Helens Hospital, Christchurch (Miss M. Fraser), and others, about a small proportion of patients whose lives were unhappy and whose babies were unwanted. “The Government is fully aware of the situation regarding ‘boarder babies’ in maternity hospitals,” said the Minister. In 1967, 3514 adoption orders were recorded—which was more than in any previous year, said the Minister. At the end of last year there were 91 babies available for adoption who had been unplaced within one month of their birth. “A substantial proportion I of these babies were in foster j homes or placed with the mother, relatives or friends,” said Mr McKay. At the same date there I were 691 unsatisfied appli- ' cants for babies for adoption

and 433 applicants on the waiting list for adoption who were not ready at that time to take a child or whose application had not been finally processed. “It is quite clear that while there are a few babies who remain in hospital longer than the usual time, the number does not require any precipitate action to make other arrangements for their placement,” said the Minister. He said an investigation undertaken “not so long ago” at one of New Zealand’s largest maternity hospitals showed that there were only 12 babies in residence who were more than one month old and four of these still required hospital care. “Furthermore, an unmarried mother cannot be deprived of her child arbiJrarily,” said Mr McKay.

“The existing legal provisions are there to safeguard the interests of both the mother and child and these statutory provisions are invoked when the circumstances warrant their use. “There is no evidence that officers of the Child Welfare Division are not taking the necessary action when appropriate cases are brought to their notice,” he said.