Butterbox Babies

Butterbox Babies was the name under which a case of adopted children smuggling and multiple negligent infanticide became known, who had played 1928-1946 in Eastchester in the Canadian Nova Scotia.

William Peach Young and Lila Gladys Young opened there a birthplace for unmarried mothers who were able to give their child a fee. The children were often smuggled into the United States, where childless Jewish couple paid a lot of money to spend a Canadian child as their own. This was a time in the United States the controlling law that forbade married couples to adopt children of other religions.

Because of poor medical care and the lack of training in midwifery, the deeply religious Youngs many children died at birth. Some of the times, more than 70 children in the home were partially fed only with molasses and water, many diseases were the babies perish. The dead children were buried each behind the house in small wooden crates, as they were used for dairy products. Therefore, later the name Butterbox babies.

After several people had complained about the bad conditions in the prosperous " The Ideal Maternity Home ", concluded the authorities in 1946 the home. It was partly also raised allegations that the couple should have children smothered with pillows. The Youngs tried for several years to maintain the child trafficking, but this was eventually suppressed by the authorities. Both died impoverished in the 60s.

Today, several Canadian organizations try the then smuggled into the United States children reunite with their biological mothers.

Film

Don McBrearty turned the 1994 feature film Butterbox Babies (including with Susan Clark, Peter MacNeill ), who leaned on this criminal case.