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Switched at birth

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A court case in South Africa has recently opened to decide the fate of two children who were accidently switched at birth.

In 2010, two girls were given to the wrong mothers when they were both born on the 2nd of August at a Boksburg hospital near Johannesburg.

The mix-up was discovered when a blood test at the doctors revealed that the child in question was not related to the woman raising her.

After contacting the hospital, which confirmed the mix-up, the mother got in contact with the family who was raising her biological daughter and announced that she would like to take the child.

However, the other mother has refused to switch back, stating that she has raised the other child for almost 4 years and considers her as her own daughter, despite no blood relation.

Since the two mothers cannot agree on which is the best course of action, they have ended up in court battling for custody.

It is unknown where either child’s father currently is and the court’s prime concern is what is best for the children involved.

However, what is best remains a mystery. On one hand, some believe that the children should be returned to their biological mothers, whilst others believe that removing a child from a home it has known for 4 years will only cause her distress and confusion by making her live with someone she does not know.

What do you think?

Article written by  D Mulhern



69 Responses

  1. wow thats not nice of the mother who doesn’t want to switch back she should want her own child back not the other mothers.

  2. The girls deserve to know their real mother.
    I’d hate it if I wasn’t raised by my real mother.
    Even if they have been together for 4 years.
    You can’t play with family!!!
    Family is forever!!!

  3. Well… would you rather choose the sweetest lie? Or Spicy (like wisabi) truth? It might be hard to switch back but at least they wont be living a lie… what do you think?

  4. True, they should switch back to their correct parents, but it is sad to see a child you have raised for nearly 4 years to be taken away from you. They should just leave the children as they are.

  5. i think that they should be living with there proper parents because if the baby finds out when she is older then she will be very disappointed that she had lived with someone that is not even related to her instead of her mum her real mum. thats how i would feal

  6. I think that the kids should be raised as they are till a certain age, and then told the truth. Whether they want to live with their bilogical mom or not is their choice.

  7. I think they should wait till the girls are older and let them decide.
    And if people are questioning who to blame it should be the HOSPITAL!

  8. Leave the girls where they are. They’ll only get confused if the switch them back, and it’ll be quite overwhelming for them too.

  9. Hi
    I think they should keep both girls with the mothers who raised them first because they might feel uncomfortable going to a different mother.
    Ayushi

  10. They should be allowed to see their real parents and not just a random stranger…I mean would you like it if you were raised up with someone you may think is your Mum but is not…but then It would be scary moving. If to blame anyone it should be the Hopital!

  11. I think they should be switched to there own parents because when the child becomes older she will regonise she had been lied to all those years and of course if I was them I will of course cry!!!!!!!!

  12. I think that the girls should stay with the person they enjoy being with most.

  13. these kids should go back to there real mother because its just better for them and they will know who their family is.

  14. I think they should go to there real mothers
    But I will also let them be happy to be
    With there real mum or not there real mum

  15. I think it is a disappointment that they are not with there real mothers.
    they should go to there real mothers house in the weekend and in the weekdays stay with there mixed up mother, that way they get to spend time with bother mothers! just a thought

  16. well my opinion is that they should go back to their own mothers but they shouldn’t either because they have grown up to 4 with their none biological parents and they now know them. but if you take them away from their none biologic parents then they will not know what is happening.
    if that was me then i would like to go back to my own parents because they are just my parents, but i wouldn’t either because the other parents have raised them for four years.

  17. I think they should go to there own mothers and when the babies get older the parents can explained what happened. Their parents should go to the hospital and think if they want their baby back or they keep the baby they have had for 4 years. If they want their own baby tell each other.

  18. So sad they can gave her bake to the real mum they may be 2 ut just gave them bake to the real mum the real mum is so sad to not see the real mum that most be sad for the kids

  19. They should just keep the kids they have. Mothers always love their own children that they have lived with.

  20. i think that they should stay where they are until they are old enough to understand and meet their real mothers is you swap them now they will be upset because they don’t know their real mothers.

  21. It is so sad.
    I think they should get thier real mother so that the mothers know what kind of tipe they are.
    also because the mothers and fathers dicided to born a baby so they should be responcible with their own baby.
    If one dies, the real mother will probably be mad.

  22. I think that the woman who wants to stay with her non-biological daughter is selfish and rude, though I think that they should stay until they are older, and then switch, but it is guaranteed that they will be upset.

  23. thats exactly what i was thinking when i read it, if a mother is seperated from her child she should get him/her back

  24. I think that maybe they should consult the hospital and then introduce the daughters and see what they think of each other. then they should wait a few more years and introduce them again, and let them decide. also, it is verry important that the two mothers and daughters keep in touch. the daughters are not a object to fight over like a kindergartener and they should have say.

  25. Wow , they should stay with the people they were raised with because they will already know the mother really well .

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