MATERNITY HOMES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19027, 26 May 1925, Page 13

MATERNITY HOMES.

Stutc maternity homes exist in several departments in France, but by no means in all. M. Justin Godart's move to promote them in every department is likely to meet with universal approval, even though it involves greatly increased expenditure, £or it is thought that at least 100,000 lives will be saved to 1* ranee by such institutions. The object of tho maternity homes already in existence is to enable any necessitous mother whatsoever to have her child without expense and without anxiety and under the most hygienic conditions possible. In order to secure these conditions, absolute secrecy is preserved. No questions are allowed to be asked, and information of any kind is discouraged. The case of the unmarried mother is, of course, particularly to the fore, and it is held that a largo proportion of illegitimate children are allowed to die because of lack of proper caro owing to the shame attaching to their birth. In tho case of tho State maternity homes, the mere fact of the birth, no matter what the circumstances, is held to bo sufficient to ensure the right to the best possible care. Any woman who wishes to have her child secretly can go to such maternity homes as exist, receive the necessary attention, and, if she will, can be kept at the home or at affiliated institutions for some months after the birth. The present difficulty is the lack of such homes, since those in existence can hardly cope with the work. Ihe Ministry o*f Labour, as represented by.M. Godart, hopes to eillist the help of a grtiat many private organisations. The expense is to bo borne partly by the State and partly by the department. While there may be paying patients, no one is to be forced to pay who declares herself unable to do so, and no inquiries are to be made as to whether she is able to pay or even whether she belongs to the particular department. It is an interesting movement, which is thus established on tho broad principle of birth and birth alone.