About a year ago, the woman had already left another baby at Beja Hospital, which was sent to the adoption system.
The 27-year-old woman who left her newborn son at the Sapadores de Leiria Fire Station in the early hours of Monday had already been through a similar situation about a year ago. At the time, she gave birth at Beja Hospital and left the baby in the care of the authorities, who sent him for adoption.
According to information obtained by , the woman is from Brazil and has legal status in Portugal and lived and worked in Sines when she had her first child. After the birth, she stayed with the baby for a few days, but ended up absenting herself from the hospital, leaving him to be handed over to the adoption system.
More recently, the young woman moved to Leiria, where she settled in a rented room on the outskirts of the city. In the early hours of Monday, he left the newborn next to the Sapadores Firefighters communications centerin a safe and visible place and with a bag with diapers and milk. Hours later, she was located by the PSP, who found her with her bags packed and ready to leave the city.
The woman was taken to the police station, gave a statement and was charged with the crime of exposure and abandonment of a minor. After interrogation, she was taken to the hospital, where received medical care.
The baby, found in good health, was taken to Leiria Hospital, where he remained under observation for several days. His mother visited him at the beginning of the week, accompanied by Social Security technicians. Yesterday, the child was handed over to a host familypending a court decision on its future.
Portugal has a legal mechanism that allows anonymous births in hospital units, known as “confidential delivery“, designed precisely to avoid dangerous abandonment and protect both mothers and newborns. However, many women are unaware of the existence of this regime or face barriers to accessing information and social support.
Authorities continue to monitor the mother’s situation. Meanwhile, the newborn will be under the care of Social Security, in temporary care, until a definitive solution for their fate is defined.
