Infanticide. It’s a term used in history books on ancient Greece and Rome and in criticisms of China’s one-child policy. I assumed that in a devoutly religious country with a large international adoption program, infanticide would never occur. Sadly, the practice is prevalent in Ethiopia.
It seems to be common knowledge that Gimbie has designated dumping sites for infants. Parents either strangle their children at these locations or simply abandon them to await death from the elements or from hyenas. The victims of late-term abortions seem to find there way here, as well.
It gave me the shivers to think about these things last night as I held a baby who narrowly escaped such a fate. He was born in our hospital on Thursday, and an intuitive Ethiopian nurse pulled Petra aside to apprise her of the mother’s desperate plans. Ansley and Monica agreed to take turns caring for the baby until the YWAM (Youth with a Mission) adoption agency could take custody. Last night I took a shift.
Last night, as I sat up bottle-feeding George (so named to discourage our attachment to him) and changing his diaper, I felt like the child in the story of the starfish on the beach. The child stood throwing the starfish back into the water one by one as thousands upon thousands lay drying out on the beach. When an older man accused him of wasting his time, he tossed one into the waves determinedly and said, “It mattered for that one.”
I suppose all of our work at the hospital is like that, and I don’t believe that helping individuals is a waste of time, especially since we’re talking about human beings rather than animals. Still, I think some prevention is within our reach. We need to try to turn off the clogged sink rather than spend all our energy mopping the floor.
We hope to soon expand our public health education efforts and especially target young girls. They need to know about birth control, the dangers of back-woods abortions, and the risk of STD transmission. They also need mentors and a place to turn for help. For many, unwanted pregnancy leads to two options: 1.) Hush it up with a risky abortion or infanticide or 2.) Risk disownment and lifelong destitution. These girls need a third option.
Monica has a vision to create a combined orphanage and single women’s home, where unmarried women who choose to keep their babies can live and work in safety. They would serve as caregivers to the other orphan children, and perhaps other industries could be opened, as well. Such a program would certainly not encourage promiscuous behavior, as these women would still face a stigma and have very slim marriage prospects. But their food and clothing would be sure, and they would be in a loving and supportive environment. Hopefully, if this third option existed, fewer babies would wind up in George’s situation.