A young woman in New York City is facing charges after police said she left her newborn son in a trash can in a hospital lobby bathroom.
The Blaze reports Lucia Garcia, 21, an immigrant from Mexico who is seeking asylum, was arrested Saturday and charged with reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child.
Staff at Staten Island University Hospital said they heard the baby boy crying and quickly found him in the trash can, according to the New York Post. The infant is being cared for at another hospital in Manhattan; authorities said he is in good condition.
The young woman’s father, Ambrosio Garcia, 41, said he brought his daughter to the hospital late Friday night because she told him she was sick. Garcia said he had suspected that she was pregnant, but she repeatedly denied it.
“She said she had her period when she came out of the bathroom,” Garcia told The Post. “She had a lot of blood on her. Then police went into the bathroom, and another man to clean it. There was a baby boy in there that they found in the trash can.”
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Garcia said he is thankful that his grandchild is doing well.
“Somebody came and told me that the baby was living and he was well,” he told the newspaper. “That she had put him in the trash. I would love to have a grandchild. It would be my first grandchild.”
Authorities in New Mexico investigated a very similar case in January involving a young mother who went to the hospital, allegedly locked herself in a hospital bathroom, gave birth and then threw her newborn son in a trash can. The baby died, and the mother is facing charges.
A third case in Iowa in February led to the arrest of two individuals on first-degree murder charges after police said they admitted to throwing a newborn baby boy in a trash bag and leaving him in a ditch.
Infanticide and infant abandonment are problems across the world.
Like abortion, infanticide destroys the life of a unique and valuable child who is fully dependent on his/her parents to survive. The pro-life movement works to protect newborns from infanticide as well as abortion by supporting safe haven laws, adoption and resources to help pregnant and parenting families.
In America, all 50 states have safe haven laws that allow mothers to safely surrender their newborns to authorities, often at a police station or hospital, without repercussions as long as the infant is unharmed. Several states also have baby boxes installed in fire stations where women can safely surrender newborns. Typically, laws allow safe surrender within a certain time limit, such as up to 30 days after the baby’s birth.
LifeNews Note: File photo.
