The grizzly bear is huge and wild,
He has devoured the infant child.
The infant child is not aware
He has been eaten by the bear.
..Ogden Nash
Enter Baybee Saver Rep. Alberto Torrico and his AB 1873 introduced this year in the legislature. The bill originally raised the age limit of legal baybee dumping from 72 hours to 1-year, but when otherwise loyal SSBA supporters lobbed rotten tomatoes his way, Torrico retreated to the 1-month limit. Even that compromise horrified important state players, including the California Department of Social Services, California Welfare Directors Association, the LA County DA’s office, and assorted politicians who threw up their hands at the thought of pre-mediated abandonment. As if the whole deal isn’t about that anyway.
AB 1873 has been sitting around for months, but in the last couple weeks with recess looming, sounds were made about getting it on the floor for a vote. And that’s when the rumble in the press started, and strategically placed stupid remarks from dump pushers began to show up.
Stupid remarks like:
*Severe post-partum depression can come about the day after birth to weeks after, all the way up to 90 days to six months after birth. We want to make sure the mother has an extended amount of time, so we agreed to a 30-day extension of the law to let parents surrender their babies without any questions being asked.
Assb. Alberto Torrico, KCBS-TV, Sacramento, August 21, 2006
*There seems to be a larger groundswell of opposition to the bill on the grounds that it might allow child abusers immunity. We have no idea how these arguments have gained support–and each of them is fanciful, based on the idea that California’s favorite bogeymen, child abusers, would immediately abuse their newborns, then wait until the babies have “healed” before surrendering them…
Editorial, San Francisco Chronicle, August 22, 2006
*Thousands of babies are born every day in the United States. Many are left abandoned in trash cans or on bathroom floors because the mother is unable or unwilling to care for the newborn.
Judi Bowers, reporter, Big Bear Grizzly, August 23, 2006
*We’re trying to ensure that mothers in California understand that they have alternatives other than to leave a young baby in a garbage can.
Assb. Alberto Toricco, Sacramento Bee, August 24, 2006
*Many mothers especially in cases of cesarean delivery are still in the hospital after three days..so really what you want to do is give mothers an appropriate time to get home and you start assessing the gravity of the situation,”
Assb. Alberto Torrico, KOVR-TV, Sacramento, August 24, 2006
*I think if we’re really honest, this is a pro-life bill.
Assb. Bonnie Garcia, Sacramento Bee, August 25, 2006
*For those of you that are never going to have the experience of a baby moving and kicking inside of you, I don’t think you’ll ever understand this.”
Assb.. Bonnie Garcia, San Jose Mercury News, August 25, 2006
*Whether it’s three days or 30 days is absolutely ridiculous, quite frankly every woman is different”
Assb. Todd Spitzer, Sacramento Bee, August 25, 2006
*Things like sleep deprivation. Things take a while to kick in and you don’t realize if you’re alone and you don’t have any help you’re up basically 24 hours a day basically.
Melissa Murphy, mother of 2, KPIX-TV, San Francisco, August 25, 2006
*It keeps children out of Dumpsters. There is no downside to extending it (the deadline) from three day to 30 days. In some cases, it gives another chance for a scared and panicked mother to make a decision that will affect her and her child’s life forever.
Peter Warren, spokesman, California Medical Association,Riverside Press Enterprise August 25, 2006
*We’ve got to give these mothers a chance to get home and assess the seriousness of the situation.
Assb. Alberto Torrico, San Bernardino Sun, September 18, 2006
*The reality of raising a baby really dawns on you once you get it home.
Assb. Alberto Torrico, Time Magazine, September 21, 2006
*The purpose is to give the mother time to weigh the gravity of the situation. In many cases, the mothers are still in the hospital up to three days and are unable to decide what they want to do in such a short time. But 30 days is a good compromise … and gives enough time so that infants will be able to be placed in a good, loving home.”
Assb. Alberto Toricco, KCAL-TV. September 26, 2006
*I just don’t think three days is enough for a mother to assess the gravity of raising a child…I’d err on giving mothers more time than less…We’ve had psychologists and psychiatrists, the American Medical Association and the college of OB-GYN all testify that for post-partum depression, 30 days makes sense. And all definitions of newborns are from 28 to 30 days.
Assb. Albeto Toricco, Contra Costa Times, September 28, 2006
Yeah, dirty diapers and sleep depravation can be a real drag. Somebody shoulda told me.
Did I mention the bill passed?
More about that later today.
Thanks to Lisa for the poem!
As stupid comments compound I will add them here.
(Last update: October 3, 2006)
i was abused by my adoptive parents and thanks to the baby safe haven law it makes it to were adoptive parents can abuse an adopted child with no way out of the abuse because everbody thinks adoption is wonderfull so my adoptive parents could abuse me tortue me and nobody would belive me i had to be abused if i wanted to eat its no wonder when i got older i beacame aneroxic
im an adoptee and i hate it i cant ever have any rights because im adopted and now with the baby safe haven law you look like a a hole if you even talk about needing rights but being adopted i cant ever have any rights its not fair that some people can have rights and others cant the world shouldt run like that
im an adoptee and i think you need more in this world than just to be born some people might think thats crazy but i dont i think you need to have rights besides just being born but adoptees are born in life with no rights you need rights in my opinion to live to oyu need rights adoptees dont have rights