The Portuguese Order of Nurses issued a statement on Thursday clarifying that the woman who abandoned a newborn baby near the premises of the Leiria Fire Brigade “is not a nurse in Portugal.”
The statement addresses reports concerning a 27-year-old Brazilian woman who left a newborn at the Leiria Fire Brigade, asserting that she is not recognized as a nurse in the country.
The Order of Nurses emphasized that the title ‘nurse’ for individuals with foreign education, without proper recognition in Portugal, is inaccurate.
“In this specific case, the nursing education obtained in Brazil does not directly grant the title of nurse nor automatically allow the profession to be practiced in our country,” it said.
The statement further clarifies that practicing nursing in Portugal requires formal diploma recognition from a Portuguese higher education institution and mandatory registration with the Order of Nurses, the sole entity responsible for issuing the professional license needed to practice nursing.
Newborn Found in Shopping Bag at Leiria Fire Brigade
A newborn was discovered in the early hours of October 20 at the Leiria Fire Brigade. The child was placed inside a shopping bag, accompanied by a bottle of milk and diapers.
João Agro, director of the pediatrics department at the Hospital de Santo André, told journalists that the baby was “well” and “warm,” indicating “some care and concern” from the person who abandoned him.
“The baby was healthy, well-wrapped, with milk and a bottle. It was a healthy newborn, well cared for and not in need of additional care,” he said.
The Public Security Police (PSP) later announced the identification of a 27-year-old foreign woman, legally residing in the country, as the mother of the newborn abandoned near the Leiria Fire Brigade.
The alert came at around 5:50 a.m. from a firefighter who heard a noise and, upon investigation, found the newborn in a shopping bag, comfortably wrapped in a blanket.
The PSP initiated necessary police measures to locate the woman, with the city’s CCTV system and the fire brigade’s preserved CCTV footage proving crucial to the investigation’s progress.
The woman was found at her residence and was made a defendant.
The 27-year-old mother has been made a defendant and is being questioned by the authorities. The child, approximately 24 hours old, was in good health, equipped with a bottle of milk, a pacifier, and diapers.
Correio da Manhã reported that while the woman was recognized as a nurse in Brazil, she might soon be visiting her son and could potentially regain custody. For now, the newborn has been placed with a foster family.
The same newspaper disclosed that the woman had another child a year ago at the Beja Hospital and similarly did not keep him in her care.
At that time, residing and working in Sines, she went to Beja Hospital for childbirth, stayed with the baby in the early days, but later left him for adoption.
Notícias ao Minuto spoke with the Dean of the Order of Lawyers to understand how the law protects abandoned children and the consequences and rights for parents involved in such actions.
