Adventist Hospital in Germany Retires Baby Hatch Due to Legislation
25 April 2025 |
After 25 years of operation, Waldfriede Hospital, a Seventh-day Adventist health-care institution in Berlin-Zehlendorf, Germany, stopped operating its baby hatch in March 2025.
The baby hatch was designed on April 8, 2000, by the Hamburg Sternipark Association. The decision to create the hatch was prompted by an increase in infanticide due to fear or lack of financial or social support.
The hatch consists of an enclosed warming bed where mothers can anonymously drop off their babies. After a short time, an alarm alerts the medical staff to retrieve the child. After a brief examination, the baby is taken into care by the Youth Welfare Office and later placed with a suitable foster or adoption family. The birth mother had two months to reclaim her child.
According to an Adventist Review article on the development:
“Gabriele Stangl, the founder of the baby hatch at Waldfriede Hospital, together with a dedicated team, created the world’s first baby hatch in a clinic, against much resistance from authorities and politicians. She wanted to prevent newborns from being abandoned or killed and to assist burdened mothers. For many years, Stangl, a pastor, defended the ethically controversial project. In 2023, she published a book about her experiences titled Herzenskinder (Children of the Heart).”
This public service acted not only as a necessary resource, but a comforting ministry for mothers in difficult situations. Fortunately, with the rise of helpful legislation, these birthing hatches have become obsolete. On May 1, 2014, the law on confidential births came into force. The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) offers pregnancy counseling centers, youth welfare offices, hospitals, and midwife services. These services are legally bound to confidentiality, allowing for strict protection of the mother’s data, which can only be offered to the child once they turn 16.
With the rise of confidential birth law, birthing hatches became unnecessary and difficult to maintain.
“The baby hatch is no longer up-to-date,” said Bernd Quoss, chief executive officer of Waldfriede Hospital. “There are better opportunities today. The value of the confidential birth for both the child and the mother is higher than the continued existence of the baby hatch, since not only the child but above all the mother can now be provided with medical and nursing care by competent staff.”
The nonprofit Waldfriede Hospital is a well-respected academic teaching hospital of the Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin. They have been a cooperation partner of AdventHealth in the U.S. for many years and have been named one of the best hospitals in the world three years in a row. Their commitment to using their hospital as an active ministry allowed scared mothers to make a difficult decision easier. Now, with legislation protecting and supporting both mother and child through adequate care, the baby hatch can become a bright detail in the legacy of a respected hospital.
