THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 17, 1995 TAG: 9510170008
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 38 lines
I am writing to ask the people of our community to reserve judgment of both the mother of baby Matthew, who was left in a hospital parking lot Oct. 6, and the child.
Your front-page headline on Oct. 11 read: ``Life has dealt him a tough blow.'' I beg to differ. A tough blow would have been abandonment in a dumpster or open field on a cold winter's night. Baby Matthew's mother had the intelligence to leave her baby in a relatively safe place on a warm night where he was promptly found and cared for. I commend her for that.
A tough blow for Matthew would have been a life of abuse, neglect or poverty. My guess is the mother of this child had little if any access to traditional resources that could have helped her make informed decisions about the fate of her baby. She may be a child herself, she may be in danger, she may have been raped.
The irony of the situation in my opinion is that in order for Matthew to be adopted, the mother must legally terminate her rights to him. She can be charged with a crime too, so why should she come forward? If she is reading this, I urge her to seek legal counsel before taking any other steps. I know there are plenty of lawyers out there who would help her without charge. I want her to know that she did the best thing possible in what I am sure was a very difficult and painful situation.
Her baby is being loved and cared for. Lots of families out there have been waiting for someone like Matthew to come along, and they will be forever grateful for her choice to bring him into our world.
CONNIE HANNA
Norfolk, Oct. 11, 1995 by CNB