A baby hatch, set up by Shijiazhuang Social Welfare Institution in Hebei Province last June, has attracted widespread criticism with many arguing that it could encourage irresponsible parents to abandon their babies, China Youth Daily reported.

The facility, called "Babies' Safe Island," is a small cabin equipped with an incubator and ventilation and painted with bright colors. Intended to allow parents to drop off unwanted infants, the hatch is checked by patrol every two hours.

The institution's director Han Jinhong said it was inspired by similar practices in Germany, Italy, Czech and Russia.

As of the end of January, the facility had received 26 abandoned babies, of whom 18 survived. Most of the children were born with serious deficiencies, some are suspected to be born out of wedlock.

The hatch drew skepticism from its first day. Its initial objections were from the institution staff, who complained that the facility would not only directly increase their workloads and operation risks but also lead to rise in the number of abandoned infants.

Others in the public agreed. Some said that it is against the law to throw away babies and a hatch would "encourage irresponsible people to commit irresponsible deeds."

Han held a different opinion. "Abandoned babies are not inevitable even in developed countries. It is not possible that a hatch could lead to the increase in the number of irresponsible parents," Han said. "Baby abandonment is an issue that needs collaborative efforts of social security departments and judicial agencies to solve. Charity organizations cannot change the poverty in the society. What we can do is let your children live a life with dignity after you abandon them."

(China.org.cn March 1, 2012)

据《中国青年报》报道，由河北省石家庄市社会福利院去年6月份建立起来的弃婴保护仓引发广泛批评，许多人称，这会鼓励不负责任的父母抛弃婴儿。

该设施是一个小屋，名为“婴儿安全岛”，安置了保温箱、排气扇，还涂有色彩鲜艳的漆。为方便父母留下遗弃的婴儿，值班人员每两小时查看一次保护仓。

福利院院长韩金红称，这是受了德国、意大利、捷克、俄罗斯相似做法的启发而建的。

到1月底，该设施接收了26名弃婴，其中18名存活下来。许多儿童生来便有严重缺陷，一些可能是婚外儿。

自从第一天起，保护仓便没能逃脱质疑。最先的反对意见来自福利院职工。他们抱怨道，该设施不但会直接增加他们的工作负担、运作风险，还会导致弃婴数量的增加。

社会上的一些人赞同。有人说，抛弃婴儿是违法的，保护仓“鼓励了不负责任的人做不负责任的事”。

韩金红持不同的意见。韩金红说：“发达国家也避免不了弃婴。不会说多一个安全岛，不良父母就增加了。弃婴行为需要社会保障部门和司法机关共同解决。福利机构没法改变社会贫困，我们能做的就是如果你遗弃了，我们让你的孩子活得有尊严。”