"Not Child Abuse" No Punishment Even If Newborns Are Stacked, Is There No Problem?

"Too Noisy" Multiple Newborns Stacked in Incubator
Self-Feeding with Bottles Left Leads to Formula Spitting
Only Self-Feeding Recognized as Abuse
Experts Say "Abuse Should Be Judged from Children's Perspective"

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] A group of obstetrics and gynecology medical staff sparked controversy by placing several crying babies together in a single incubator and inserting feeding bottles into the newborns' mouths, a so-called 'self-feeding' practice. However, only some of their actions have been recognized as violations of the Child Welfare Act, drawing widespread social criticism.

On the 2nd, medical staff suspected of child abuse at an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province last year were sent to the prosecution.

The medical staff reportedly placed multiple babies in a single-person incubator due to the loud crying of the newborns. According to a nursing assistant who worked at the hospital, there were instances where feeding bottles were left in the babies' mouths for them to feed on their own, resulting in situations where the formula was vomited.

Parents who gave birth at this hospital filed a complaint with the police in September last year based on these details. After securing and analyzing internal closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, the police confirmed these facts.

Additionally, the hospital director and other medical staff injured a newborn's eye area with a scalpel during a cesarean section. After the surgery, they failed to properly document this fact in the medical charts and even attempted to downplay and conceal it. They were handed over to the police on charges of professional negligence causing injury.

An employee who worked at the hospital at the time posted a petition on the Blue House National Petition Board, appealing for "strong laws and systems to punish hospitals that allow self-feeding and placing multiple babies in incubators, and fail to properly inform mothers of injuries sustained during delivery."

MBC Newsdesk reported on September 9 last year that newborn abuse occurred at an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Gyeonggi-do, where several babies were placed together in a single incubator due to loud crying. Photo by MBC Newsdesk capture

However, the only child abuse charges applied by the police were for 11 confirmed instances of 'self-feeding' captured on CCTV.

Regarding the practice of placing two babies in one incubator, the police found no objective evidence that the situation was dangerous. They accepted the hospital's claim that there was no choice because there was only one incubator available, and thus judged it difficult to consider it child abuse. Furthermore, current laws do not clearly prohibit or penalize acts such as 'placing newborns together' or 'self-feeding.'

This judgment sparked outrage among netizens. Netizen A said, "Child abuse should be punished regardless of severity; this is absurd," and added, "The only correct response is proper judgment and appropriate punishment." They continued, "Leaving feeding bottles for self-feeding is shocking enough, isn't it almost attempted murder? I hope they are punished without considering regulations or medical laws."

A nurse at an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Busan is handling a 5-day-old newborn roughly. The baby has been diagnosed with a skull fracture and brain hemorrhage and is currently unconscious. Photo by Yonhap News

This is not the first case of child abuse in an obstetrics and gynecology clinic. Previously, in October last year, at an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Busan, a nurse accidentally dropped a newborn named 'Ayoung' while holding her upside down with one hand, causing a skull fracture. Ayoung was diagnosed with a skull fracture and traumatic brain hemorrhage at a university hospital due to this accident.

Ayoung's father expressed his frustration on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' in November last year, saying, "The police secured one month of CCTV footage and found about 20 instances of abuse," and added, "If there were more than 20 incidents in one month, I can't imagine how many children this nurse abused during her 10 years of work."

In response, an expert emphasized the need to consider child abuse issues from the child's perspective rather than an adult's. Team Leader Bae pointed out, "The recognition and punishment of child abuse acts have all been viewed from adults' perspectives, which led to such judgments."

Team Leader Bae said, "For newborns who have no resistance or strength, even acts carelessly committed by adults many times their size can lead to abuse and suffering," adding, "Where there is physical abuse, there is always emotional abuse, and emotional abuse significantly hinders a child's normal development."

He continued, "Even adults with judgment and self-control remember and resent wounds they received once for a long time, but children without such abilities carry those wounds for life," and noted, "Although small and fragile children may seem unable to remember, the impact is even more severe." He emphasized, "Punishment for such behavior should also be determined from the perspective of powerless children," and concluded, "As adults, we must consider and protect children."