Mie city refused maternal aid for pregnant foreigner overstaying visa

Friday 31st July, 07:10 AM JST

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flatearther at 09:49 PM JST - 1st August

As sympathetic as I feel to this woman and her baby, I can't help but agree with the posters who have stated that she should return to her own country. In America many women come there to have what we call "anchor babies" knowing that not only will they receive free hospital care because the hospital's can't turn them away, but will also gain citizenship through their child. So, no pregnant women are ever turned away in America, even though many probably should be.
Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land at 11:06 PM JST - 1st August

I'll take the side of the poor Indonesian woman and wish her luck. Hopefully, she can remain here with her baby, possibly get married, and build a better life for herself and hers than she would have been able to in Indonesia.

With the baby shortage Japan has, the Government should be asking her kindly to stay and offering her money.
SiouxGirl at 01:50 AM JST - 2nd August

I think she should get a good checkup and treatment for whatever trimester she's in and then held and sent back to her own country. Meanwhile, the father of the child also needs to be found and registered as the father for any future legal action. What she should've done is continued with her birth control until her life was stable and he should've worn a condom. But that didn't happen and they both still need to be held responsible. She needs health care right now. She should get it and then be returned to her own country, and the father needs to be accountable for his child. That's the law.
Crokk at 07:23 PM JST - 2nd August

With the baby shortage Japan has, the Government should be asking her kindly to stay and offering her money.

Why not also a free home and a well paid work ?
lordomni at 11:11 AM JST - 4th August

I will agree that the city was right to not give healthcare if people will also agree the 'father' should be arrested and imprisoned for abandoning this woman in a situation she had no way to escape. If she turned herself into the government as an illegal they would have imprisoned her for months and likely refused to give basic health services. Because they're civilized like that.
lordomni at 11:11 AM JST - 4th August

Ah, for evidence on the refusal see the recent story about refugees in Japan and how they are treated like criminals as well.
peachy871 at 03:21 PM JST - 4th August

She was not actually denied medical help. She was denied some vouchers and a diary. She had been going to the doctor until it got too expensive for her to handle. I don't know how much the Mie vouchers would have helped her, but going by what luilui says, they likely wouldn't have helped much. But then again, if you don't have a lot of money, every single yen of help that you can get, certainly makes a difference! On one hand, she was not denied medical help, thus her human rights were not violated, but on the other, she was someone who needed financial help in order to try and maintain the help she had been getting.

I also agree though, that she should not have let her visa lapsed. And the second she found out that she was pregnant, she should have taken steps to legalize herself again. She isn't a child, she should know better. That being said, we don't know her whole story. While I can easily spout off about how she should know better, she should work harder to make money to support her child now that it has been born, she should have gone about the proper steps to get a legal visa, etc....I for one, still don't know her whole story and cannot pass an educated judgment on this situation.

As for the father, perhaps he is a coward who wants to avoid responsibility for his actions and fatherhood. Perhaps he is married with a family of his own and the coward is afraid of the repercussions of being found out. Or perhaps he had turned out to be some abusive scumbag she hopes never to see again.

There are far too many variables none of us know about, so even though I am holding stones in my hand at the moment, I think I will refrain from throwing them. None of us have walked in her shoes.

Just hope she gets the mess untangled and things work out for the child!
nigelboy at 03:24 PM JST - 4th August

As for the father, perhaps he is a coward who wants to avoid responsibility for his actions and fatherhood. Perhaps he is married with a family of his own and the coward is afraid of the repercussions of being found out. Or perhaps he had turned out to be some abusive scumbag she hopes never to see again.

Acutally, it was the father who informed the proper authorities about her not receiving her maternal health book/vouchers.
peachy871 at 04:28 PM JST - 4th August

Nigel...thanks! That isn't mentioned at all in this story and as you can see from the posts above, lots are baying for his blood because we didn't know that. See? Lots of impassioned criticism on both sides of the fence on something we don't have nearly enough information about.

Thanks for the info! :)
Nessie at 05:54 PM JST - 4th August

Acutally, it was the father who informed the proper authorities about her not receiving her maternal health book/vouchers.

Which makes me wonder if he wanted her to be deported, or whether he didn't know her illegal status.
fishy at 10:59 AM JST - 5th August

maybe the fahter didn;t know the woman's visa had expired already. how common would it be for people to ask your visa situation when you first meet or start dating?? he might not even have thought about it until later on when the woman finally said it...
womanforwomen at 11:21 AM JST - 5th August

Are there men who take money to make a woman pregnant?
KyotoChris at 10:44 PM JST - 5th August

Nessie at 05:54 PM JST - 4th August

Which makes me wonder if he wanted her to be deported, or whether he didn't know her illegal status.

Perhaps he just wanted her to have what other women have. Why do people ALWAYS jump all over the guys in situations like these. It takes both sexes to get pregnant. She's as much responsible as he is.
Nessie at 02:28 PM JST - 6th August

Perhaps he just wanted her to have what other women have.

What, a deportation order?
KyotoChris at 08:20 PM JST - 6th August

Not a deportation order if he didn't know her status. I'm sure if deportation was the goal there are better ways of going about it.