Wanita Gerakan has urged all parties to help and not to condemn or punish the helpless mothers in the case of abandoned babies.

Wanita Gerakan deputy chief Ng Siew Lai said, instead of harsher punishment, it would be more crucial for all stake holders to jointly come up with a comprehensive framework to tackle this growing and alarming social problem.

Ng proposed to the government to introduce specific legislation to protect abandoned babies and their helpless mothers.

“Government can consider enacting a law to allow a parent to confidentially surrender a baby to any hospital emergency room or any designated place. The parent should also not be arrested or prosecuted,” Ng said in a statement.

Ng recalled that in California, the United States, The Safely Surrendered Baby Law was introduced in 2001 to address the problem, with much success.

“We don’t agree with some quarters’ suggestions to treat baby dumping as murder case as it will not solve this social problem,” she said, adding that far from punishing maternal victim of this social ill, they were more deserving of counselling and rehabilitation.

Ng said providing a baby hatch or open-care centre for the dumping babies was a good idea to prevent the babies from being thrown into rubbish dumps or toilets, she said, adding that sex education, safe sex and the use of contraceptives would also help.

She also chided PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan for blaming national celebrations such as Valentine’s Day and New Year celebrations as among the main causes of baby dumping in the country.

“Such myopic and narrow thoughts are unacceptable as pregnancy can take place at any time of the year, irrespective of a celebration or a festival,” Ng said.

Nasrudin had said the occasions were celebrated in an extreme manner and encouraged liberal socializing and free sex, which resulted in the act of dumping babies.