The cradle for life

In Italy since 2000 there has been a law that guarantees women who are carrying out an unwanted pregnancy the possibility of leaving their child in hospital while maintaining anonymity. The objective is to offer adequate health and legal assistance to women and children.
Despite this possibility, every year the news reports episodes of mothers abandoning their newborn children on the streets or in dumpsters. The reasons are difficult to understand and even to intercept. This is why in 2007, in collaboration with the CAV, we opened a cradle of life. Not as an alternative to giving birth in anonymity, but as a ultima ratio for those women who are unaware of the possibility of giving birth in secrecy. It represents a legal way to avoid desperate acts. It is a thermal cradle that allows you to leave the baby in a place where he will be guaranteed assistance and which protects the woman's anonymity. After initial treatment, the child is entrusted by the services to a family, awaiting adoptability.

The cradle is located at the entrance to our clinic where careful orientation and prevention work is carried out daily in favor of those who not only experience material poverty, but often also cultural poverty.
There are many women who show up for their first visit almost at the end of their pregnancy, without ever having visited a clinic.
Since the cradle has been there, no baby has yet been placed in it. Who knows, perhaps it is also the result of the orientation work we carry out. In fact, over the years some women have called to find out how it works. It was an opportunity to connect with them and explain the more protective possibility of giving birth anonymously. I remember the phone call from a young North African woman, she wanted to know if the crib could also accommodate her 6-month-old baby. The phone call turned into a personal meeting in which this young woman shared all her anguish at not feeling able to look after her child. We accompanied her to her social services where they offered support for her and the possibility of temporary foster care for the child.

The Arsenal of Peace has always been a cradle of life because peace is not just the absence of war but the defense of life, especially the most fragile one. Life that needs to be protected, cared for, accompanied, loved, respected.


Simona Pagani
NP February 2024