In a shocking case of murder and attempted murder involving three newborn babies, Calgary’s Meredith Borowiec, age 30, has been arrested in the deaths of her two children, born in 2008 and 2009, neither of whom apparently lived longer than a few hours.
Curiously, the murders only came to light during a police investigation after Ms. Borowiec’s third baby was heard crying in a dumpster in Calgary in October 2010. This child was rescued and is healthy and thriving despite the cruel circumstances she endured.
In the wake of these charges, the Alberta government is considering implementing an “Angel’s Cradle” policy designed to assist pregnant mothers overwhelmed by their circumstances.
Some states and countries call this policy “Baby Moses Law”, borrowing from the Old Testament book of Exodus where the daughter of Egypt’s King Pharaoh bathed in the Nile River, only to discover a basket made of bulrushes that cradled a beautiful Jewish baby boy.
The baby’s unknown mother chose to give up her baby rather than suffer the inhumanity of Pharaoh’s edict to murder all Jewish baby boys. The baby, named Moses, which means ” drawn out of the water”, was taken in by the Princess and was raised in the royal household.
This is the model for today’s laws that allow mothers to drop their baby off at a hospital, police station, church or other secure place, anonymously and with no fear of criminal repercussions.
Baby Moses Law, also called Safe Haven Law, is on the books of fifty American states and other countries throughout the world. Canada has no Safe Haven laws and is lagging behind other countries that have responded legislatively, including the Islamic Republic of Sudan.
In April of 2010, doctors at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver took matters into their own hands and started a program called Angel’s Cradle. They received the Vancouver Police Department’s assurance that mothers using the service would not be prosecuted.
It sounds like a perfect solution for situations where mothers may abort; simply abandon their children in remote locations; or in desperation, kill them.
While providing a necessary social safety net there are those
who criticize Safe Haven laws and cite examples of abuse to support their position. Concerns include the fear that mothers will use the law to rid themselves of a child, to the detriment of the biological father who may well wish to raise the child.
Nebraska’s law, enacted in July 2008, originally allowed for “drop-offs” of children up to the age of eighteen years old. In the first four months, 35 children, mostly pre-teens, were deserted in Nebraska, arriving from other states such as Florida and Delaware.
Realizing how misconceived their original legislation was, the law was amended in November 2008 so that it only applied to babies thirty days or younger.
As for Meredith Borowiec, authorities in Calgary have acknowledged that their second-degree murder case against her will be challenging because the bodies of the murdered babies have never been found.
We will undoubtedly hear a defence that suggests post-partum reactions after her children were born. However, medical research suggests that post-partum hormonal issues do not arise until some time after the delivery of a child.
It is sad when human life is treated as trash to be thrown out. We need justice for the innocent in Canada and we need it now.
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