Baby abadoned on Gulf Air flight from Qatar to Philippines.
 

A baby was found abandoned on a Gulf Air flight from Qatar to the Philippines.
The mother has been found and she says she was raped by her employer and his wife forced her to leave. She hid her pregnancy from them but had to give birth in-flight.

I am wondering why she didn't have an abortion, following might be some reasons:

a) Scared what the employer and the Qatari authorities would do to an unmarried pregnant woman . Especially someone from South East Asia.

b) She was for intents and purposes imprisoned in the employer's house.

c) Didn't know who/where to seek help

Well she obviously shouldn't have abandoned the child but I can't imagine the feelings she was going through.

Is the employer ever going to be brought to justice? Assuming her story is legit, which knowing the Middle East and their treatment of housemaids, is not hard to believe.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/0..._n_719970.html


BTW
Even before I started reading the article, when I saw the heading say Filipino woman gives birth on plane, my immediate hunch it was Gulf related.

Re: Baby abadoned on Gulf Air flight from Qatar to Philippines.
 

Having just returned from Manila a couple of days ago, this was in the local news over there.
I am happy to say they have found the mother and is now in hospital getting the treatment she requires.

Re: Baby abadoned on Gulf Air flight from Qatar to Philippines.
 

What seems odd to me is why the OP wanted to know why the poor girl failed to have an abortion. How on earth can a Filipina housemaid get an abortion over here?

Re: Baby abadoned on Gulf Air flight from Qatar to Philippines.
 

or she could just have been screwing around and decided to cry rape to deflect the criticism she gets for dumping a baby on a plane

Re: Baby abadoned on Gulf Air flight from Qatar to Philippines.
 

poor innocent new born aside ..you say screwing around like its something to be discouraged:rolleyes:

Re: Baby abadoned on Gulf Air flight from Qatar to Philippines.
 

You seem to have judged the tone of the bored perfectly. Welcome!

Re: Baby abadoned on Gulf Air flight from Qatar to Philippines.
 

Well assuming she had planned to abandon the baby, I was a bit surprised that she didn't seek an abortion. Not saying she should have got one, just that women in her position do have that option but then again this is the Gulf so I mention later she may not have had the choice.

Re: Baby abadoned on Gulf Air flight from Qatar to Philippines.
 

Indeed. Abortion is highly illegal in all GCC countries.

It's also illegal in the Philippines as well thanks to the Catholic Church's influence over the population and government policy makers.

These sorts of policies ensure the continued repression of women and actually help to create both mental and material poverty (you only have to see the lower education standards and high birth rates in the Philippines to understand that. Smaller familes means more money to send the kids to better schools).

Sad really.

N.

Re: Baby abadoned on Gulf Air flight from Qatar to Philippines.
 

yes... no one can have an abortion here but if you're [really, really] desperate and can't leave there are a good few sites/people who "recommend" taking a big cocktail of various over-the-counter contraceptive pills to make it happen.

Shocking that it should have to come to that for some.

Shocking also that because of the rules of the land here, neither the woman or baby had any sort of antenatal care, help during the delivery or postnatal care.

I'm sure it's not exactly easy to give birth in a loo, put your new baby in a bin and walk away without a second thought...

Re: Baby abadoned on Gulf Air flight from Qatar to Philippines.
 

Just getting pregnant without being married is illegal and sends you to prison!

Re: Baby abadoned on Gulf Air flight from Qatar to Philippines.
 

I think we have to try to put ourselves in her shoes. She is a maid, probably paid a sh1t salary, potentially a Roman Catholic carrying another mans baby and leaving to her home country where has to face the probable disgrace of her family, the loss of her husband and whatever else she may have to go through.

If the story is accurate, then she should have nothing but our compassion at what must have been a deplorable situation. She was the victim of a crime and yet if she had had the baby she would have been labelled the criminal - sick IMHO.

Re: Baby abadoned on Gulf Air flight from Qatar to Philippines.
 

Very good point.

The mind shudders at just imagining it!! :(

Shocking stuff.

Also, incredible that the airline didn't notice she was pregnant / due, the cabin crew didn't hear someone giving birth in their bathroom, and didn't notice one person in there for quite a while (I'm assuming she didn't come out in ten minutes flat!).

Staggering really.

Sadly, far too many unwanted births happen the world over, and far too newborns are left unwanted in dumpsters and on church doorsteps even in the US.

Its one thing this happening 300 years ago when the Foundling Hospital was formed in London just for this purpose... but in the 21st century? Not much development, is there.

Re: Baby abadoned on Gulf Air flight from Qatar to Philippines.
 

Having adult consensual sex with someone you are not married to is a felony in every GCC state too...and even living with a member of the opposite sex you are not married to (unless related) is a illegal.

...just think about that for a second - it's completely insane isn't it?

N.

Re: Baby abadoned on Gulf Air flight from Qatar to Philippines.
 

In Saudi, just being with someone of the opposite sex you are not related to can get you into trouble!

Last time I flew in from Europe I was sitting next to a Saudi girl, mid 20s, on the plane. She had US citizenship as well and was doing a post-grad mathematics course in the US. Whilst we chatted happily on the plane, we both knew that from the moment she stepped off the plane, having donned her black sack, we would have to ignore each other.

Regarding the thread subject - in the absence of any information to the contrary - sympathy to the mother, who was in very desperate circumstances.

Re: Baby abadoned on Gulf Air flight from Qatar to Philippines.
 

Yes indeed, but even more insane the fatwa of one saudi imam, that breast feeding a man makes him a familymember and ergo, you can share a car or whatever with him.................