The minor hid the pregnancy from her parents and now, almost a week after the fact, the family wants to get the newborn back.
A teenager identified herself as the mother of the newborn who was abandoned at dawn on Friday, October 29, in the suburb of Guayaquil.
The minor, who allegedly hid her pregnancy from her parents, would have given birth secretly at dawn on Friday and a few minutes after delivery she had abandoned her baby in a sheath, still connected to the umbilical cord, on 26th and Q streets. .
He walked almost three blocks from his home and left the newborn in the doorway of a nearby house, in the middle of several vehicles that had been parked in the area. A taxi driver who was passing by at 05:00 heard the cry of the baby and alerted the residents, who wrapped up the newborn and called ECU911.
At the moment, the baby is still in the Francisco Icaza Bustamante hospital. It is in stable condition.
Dr. Carmen Arreaga, leader of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), He said that the newborn, six days old (until this Thursday), the medical staff has called Francisco Joaquín.
Arreaga explained that the baby arrived stable, only with changes in temperature (hypothermia), since he was naked in the street for an undetermined time.
“He has no infections, he is fed one ounce every three hours, he has not needed oxygen and the cultures and X-rays are normal,” reported the head of the NICU.
He added that Francisco Joaquín was born weighing 2.8 kilos and 46 centimeters long.
Even the drug panel was negative, he has a good weight and will remain in Intermediate Care until a judge determines the fate of the baby, explained the doctors of the health house.
Regarding what will happen to Francisco Joaquín, the National Unit for Investigation and Protection of Children (Unipen) already notified this Thursday the appearance of the family so that the judge in charge can make the decision.
It could be handed over to the family or it can be sent to a foster home. Generally, the Casa Hogar Guayaquil, located behind the Riocentro Los Ceibos, welcomes newborns who are under the guardianship of the State, through the Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion (MIES).
Some time ago, Unipen reported that giving a newborn, abandoned, up for adoption is a process that takes time, since the authorities must exhaust all instances to try to get the minor to be located with his biological family.
Family members have six months to appear and could recover it, provided they go through a psychological process and the causes of abandonment are investigated, Unipen officials from zone 8 commented at the time.
If his family is not found or it is determined that the family is not in a position to take care of the baby, the minor will enter a process to be adopted. In this phase, the potential parents will be chosen within a meticulous process, in which they must go through courses, psychological tests and visits.
In this process the applicants will not know the identity of the minor. Only the parents chosen, at the end of the process, in the file can know the background of the minor.
For this, a judicial resolution must be issued declaring the adoptability of the abandoned minor. That process can take months. (I)
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
