The future of baby hatches in China

In 2011, China launched baby hatches; places where desperate parents can leave an unwanted newborn. A medical team is supposed to pick up the infant within 10 min. Most abandoned infants have birth defects. These babies cause a financial burden for the local government and tax-payers. An increasing number of infants have been abandoned in the big cities since the start of baby hatches; not all of them from the local government area that funds the care of these abandoned babies. Due to financial pressure some of the baby hatches have been closed. For example, Ji’nan (the capital of Shandong province) closed the baby hatch’s night service in 2013; Guangzhou also suspended its service. Recently, a representative of the National People’s Congress, Zhu Shanping, suggested that the government should close the baby hatches. Zhu claimed that government funded baby hatches Pre-marital medical examination