Mother abandons newborn in aircraft toilet

A woman who gave birth in a plane’s toilet has been charged with child abandonment.

Travel Insurance News - 26/03/2009

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Police in New Zealand charged the mother after the newborn was found alive in the waste bin in the plane’s toilet.

The 29-year-old Samoan national disembarked the Pacific Blue plane at the Auckland airport after apparently having given birth during the flight.

Cleaners on the plane discovered the newborn baby in the waste bin amid bloodied paper towels.

Officials at both airports were quick to defend their check-in procedures after the incident hit the front pages of newspapers in both countries. Public health officials also warned that women in the latter months of pregnancy should not fly.

Auckland Police Det Insp Mark Gutry reported that the Samoan woman had been charged with child abandonment, which is punishable by a maximum of seven years in prison, and with child assault.

The woman may also face a fine of as much as NZ$100,000 and an additional seven years in prison for not revealing her pregnancy, which violates New Zealand’s Immigration Act.

It was reported that the woman was returning to New Zealand to pick kiwi fruit when she gave birth on the plane.

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