Newsstand - A woman abandons baby on a plane.

New Zealand police are investigating whether a woman abandoned her baby after giving birth aboard a flight to Auckland from Samoa, officials say.

Initial reports say the woman, believed to be a 30-year-old Samoan, left the baby on the plane upon landing.
Some women abandon a child left at a door step or a by garbage dump. I suppose this woman wanted her child to be one of the youngest fliers.

Maybe she was afraid that the airline would charge her infant fare on exit from the air craft with the baby.?
Maybe the airline wouldn't give a blanket to wrap the baby in, without an extra charge?

Newborn 'left behind' on NZ plane (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7952304.stm)

The story says "One source said the baby was found in the toilet rubbish bin" on board the plane. Elsewhere the story says mother and baby were reunited in the hospital.

So this mother allegely tries to throw her newborn away, and they give it back to her? What are they smoking down there in Auckland?

Something just doesn't add up (which makes sense because these are preliminary reports).

She abandons her baby in a lavatory rubbish bin (are they even big enough to fit a newborn?) and thinks no one will notice?

She walks through the airport without a passport and smeared with blood and thinks no one will notice?

The woman sounds a bit unhinged to me.

I guess the full story will come out in time.

Presumably the mother from Samoa lost her mind somewhere along the line. Lots of unanswered questions:

Couldn't the other passengers and crew tell this woman was in deep discomfort in the run-up to the birth?

Did anyone help her through the birthing?

Who cut the umbilical cord?

Whatever did she do with the placenta?

How did she ever even manage to fly so late in the pregnancy, or did the airline staff just think the Samoan passenger obese and thus not want to verify with a doctor that it was ok for her to fly?

Who got the cleaning duty?

Who got the cleaning duty?
Gross. Good question, but gross.

It was the strangest news I have read this week, considering giving birth is not normally a quick, quiet, painless, simple process that can be done in the confines of an aircraft without significant assistance. :rolleyes:

I agree there is a lot more to the story than the quotes attributed.

It was the strangest news I have read this week, considering giving birth is not normally a quick, quiet, painless, simple process that can be done in the confines of an aircraft without significant assistance. :rolleyes:

I would probably have thought this a couple of months ago, but being in the family way myself I've been hearing an awful lot of accounts lately, including those from women with African origins.

I'm sure this isn't representative, nor 'the norm' but I have one co-worker who assures me that with her own pregnancy it only became barely noticeable during the last couple of weeks of her term (she's very slender and has a figure to die for, but thinks that being so tall contributed to the baby having plenty of space inside). And for her own labour she was walking around, happy as can be, then she came to a point of discomfort saying she needed to have a poo and was told the baby was on its way out. She was absolutely fine and ready to leave the hospital within minutes of birth, hardly anyone could believe she'd had the baby.

She also assures me that a friend of hers, who has several children, has had even easier pregnancies than hers.

Obviously, I'm jealous as heck (3.5 months and I'm HUGE and doubt there'll be anything but a world of pain at the end of it) but, obviously, pregnancy and giving birth isn't the ordeal it is for some lucky women as it is for most others.

On the other hand, I'd happily go through an agonising 48 hour labour rather than suffer the kind of post-natal depression that could lead me to abandon a child in a toilet and attempt to clear customs bloodstained and without documentation.

I hope, as much for the child's sake, that the reasons for the mother's abandonment are medical. No matter how painless and easy the birth, it might have still been traumatic and left her confused and a trifle unhinged. If it is, my wishes for her speedy and complete recovery. Seems to me that both these human beings could do with a lot of support right now.

Crazy.

I'm so glad that most states in the US have "safe haven" laws so newborns can be surrendered without consequence.

Any chance this would be like what we in the US call an "anchor baby" where the Samoan was on her way to NZ to have the baby so the baby would be an NZ citizen?

Well thats an interesting thought isnt it... if a baby is born enroute, what country was it born in officially? Point of origin or arrival? Or whichever country the plane is over at the time of birth? What if the blessed event happens over international waters? (I suppose a quick google could figure that out eh? lol off to search now...)

Ok, I was being a bit facetious with the "whatever country the plane is over", but heyho!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7807001.stm
A Ugandan woman has given birth to a baby girl on board an international flight from Amsterdam to Boston after going into labour mid-flight..... Upon arrival, the baby was deemed a Canadian citizen for customs' purposes because she was born over Canada's airspace....

After a legal review, Canada later agreed that the Canadian sovereignty extends to their airspace, meaning that a child born in Canadian airspace is a Canadian citizen.

Well thats an interesting thought isnt it... if a baby is born enroute, what country was it born in officially? Point of origin or arrival? Or whichever country the plane is over at the time of birth? What if the blessed event happens over international waters? (I suppose a quick google could figure that out eh? lol off to search now...)

I suppose you are concerned about citizenship of the child more than anything else.

The first thing to look at is how citizenship is acquired through parent(s).

After that or on top of that, then look at whether or not the birth was within the territory claimed by a country that grants citizenship on jus soli basis.

Make sure to consider limitations -- if any -- on holding of dual/multiple citizenship applicable to any of the countries.

Citizenship affiliation for these births too are governed by specific national laws.

Maybe she was afraid that the airline would charge her infant fare on exit from the air craft with the baby.?
Maybe the airline wouldn't give a blanket to wrap the baby in, without an extra charge?
:td::td:

ahh Crazy story !!