This week’s featured article

JIJI, KYODO

Jikei Hospital in the city of Kumamoto, known for its kōnotori no yurikago (storks’ cradle) baby hatch, will start a program allowing women to give birth while keeping their names secret, a senior official has said.

The hospital decided on the move after making little progress in talks with the city government on assistance for isolated pregnant women, said Dr. Takeshi Hasuda, deputy head of the hospital.

It will be the only hospital in Japan to offer such a program, according to the institution.

Hasuda called for understanding of the program, stressing the need to protect mothers who would otherwise give birth alone, as well as their babies.

Those hoping to use the confidential birth program would disclose their identities only to the head of the hospital’s consultation office for mothers with newborns.

The documents where names are recorded would be sealed and kept elsewhere. In the hospital, those using the service would be allowed to get checkups and give birth under assumed names. The hospital would pay related costs for those with financial difficulties.

Seals on the records would not be broken until the children born through the program reach a certain age. Their rights to know their family backgrounds would be protected because they would be allowed to see the names of their mothers if they want, according to Hasuda.

Children born under the program would be entrusted to public child consultation centers, as are children left in the baby hatch, he said.

The hospital also plans to allow women to give birth in total anonymity, he added.

In December 2017, the hospital announced a plan to introduce a program similar to Germany’s confidential birth system.

The hospital presented a draft plan for the program to the Kumamoto Municipal Government. The municipality has asked the central government to consider what should be done, saying the issue cannot be resolved between the local government and the private hospital.

First published in The Japan Times on Dec. 9.

Warm up

One minute chat about babies.

Game

Collect words related to giving birth:

e.g: hospital, mother, C-section, etc.

New words

1) disclose: to make known, e.g. “The company disclosed its financial results.”

2) entrust: put in someone’s care, e.g. “The project was entrusted to her mother.”

3) anonymity: the state of being unknown, e.g. “She enjoyed the anonymity of city life.”

Guess the headline

Hospital equipped with baby h_ _ _ _ to introduce con_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ birth program

Questions

1) What is the baby hatch program?

2) What is the purpose of the program?

3) What happens to the baby after it has been born?

Let’s discuss the article

1) Were you born in a hospital?

2) What do you think about the program?

3) What do you think is needed to help women in this situation?

Reference

出産や子育てに関して新たな取り組みを行い話題となった病院が、新しいプログラムによって再び注目を集めています。出産は多くの場合喜ばしく、赤ちゃんの誕生が待ち望まれるものですが、必ずしもすべての出産がそのような状況ではありません。望まない妊娠により生まれてくる赤ちゃんの命を守ために打ち出されたプログラムには様々なコメントがよせられそうです。

少子化が叫ばれて久しい日本で、より多くの赤ちゃんが幸せに生まれ暮らせるようになるためにはどのような取り組みが必要なのか、朝英語の会に参加し皆さんで話し合ってみましょう。