Wednesday, March 25, 2009
will someone please charge the father too!
Rant begins.
So a few days ago, this really sad things happens – a newborn baby is found alive, in a rubbish bin, on an airplane. As events unfold, it is revealed that the plane has flown from Samoa to New Zealand and during the flight, a woman has given birth, and has then tried to abandon the baby. Today comes the news that she is now being charged, first with abandoning the baby girl and second, with assaulting her.
So what about the father? It takes two parties to conceive. If the mother is to be charged with abandonment, then surely the father must be as well. He has abandoned this baby just as much as the mother has. Where is he when the going gets tough? Cowardly males, taking the easy option, getting off scott-free!
Rant over.
Posted by steve at 09:23 PM
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The main difference is that he did not physically pick that child up and place it in a rubbish bin. Sure he wasn’t there but we don’t know that she didn’t fly out of the country without giving him an option about whether he wanted his child to stay in Samoa with him. She has done a conscious thing to abandon his child in a rubbish bin on a plane. His abandonment lies with abandoning her to go through the birth on her own but you can’t charge him with abandonment of the baby as he didn’t even get a chance. Plus the police have evidence that she assaulted the baby – he can’t be blamed for that. Too much nowdays whenever there is a tragedy we are so quick to point the finger everywhere else – blame everyone else. She must take responsibility for flying here when she knew she was heavily pregnant and then trying to hide her baby and leave it for dead. Sorry Steve, I think you are just trying to shift the blame.
Comment by Karen — March 25, 2009 @ 10:02 pm
no Karen, I’m not trying to shift the blame at all. She is being charged with 2 things – abandonment and assault and I am suggesting that the male “too” should be charged with abandonment. You mention the assault – I did not suggest he be charged with assault, simply abandonment.
If a man conceives a child, he’s responsible for it. Where is he? If he’s not around, he’s abandoning the child just as much as she is.
steve
Comment by steve — March 25, 2009 @ 10:12 pm
Hmmm seems harsh to charge the guy if the facts aren’t known. We can’t know that he intentionally left the child. Did he even know she had conceived (she lied on her immigration form, so she could have held the truth from the father)? Could she have refused him rights to be involved with his child? Was their even a father, could should have been artificially made pregnant? Could he have passed away? Far too many unknowns.
I agree that if their is clear evidence he choose to neglect mother and baby then he has a case to answer for. But until you know that for sure it is very harsh to put a rant on a blog about him. You haven’t addressed the issue of abandonment in general as much as targeted some bloke and called him a coward.
I certainly wouldn’t want to be found guility on the evidence presented 🙂
Comment by Aaron — March 25, 2009 @ 11:46 pm
Hi Aaron. Nice to finally meet you face to face on Saturday. You raise valid points, and exactly the kind of points that would surely be considered if charges were laid.
It is the job of the Police to uphold the law and to prosecute, the job of a defense to provide counter evidence and the job of a judge to consider mitigating factors in sentencing. The points you raise should be part of a good and fair legal process.
Yes I am being harsh. It seems to me to be harsh to charge the mother and since that is the legal framework being applied, I am simply asking for logical consistency. If you charge the mother with abandonment, then surely the father should be charged as well.
steve
Comment by steve — March 26, 2009 @ 9:45 am
But Steve, she physically placed a child down and abandoned it. As both Aaron and I are saying we do not know that he even had a chance to abandon or not abandon as we do not know any details about him. The police are charging her because that is the person they can prove did abandon the baby.
Comment by Karen — March 27, 2009 @ 6:13 pm