"Months before British Columbia officially ended the controversial practice of birth alerts, government lawyers advised the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) that the practice was 'illegal and unconstitutional' and posed a 'litigation risk,' according to records obtained by IndigiNews," says this article. "MCFD records show that B.C.’s Ministry of the Attorney General sent a memo to the ministry on May 6, 2019, confirming that 'the use of hospital alerts, and other activities involving the disclosure of information without the consent of expectant parents is both illegal and unconstitutional.'” Birth alerts are issued by social workers who feel that an expectant parent may put their newborn at risk, "flagging the expectant parent to hospital staff without their consent, and directing them to notify social workers as soon as the baby’s born."
