Sanctioning cruelty or saving children?

The ancient Romans practiced "exposure," leaving their unwanted babies outside to die. Early Christians rescued many. Will history repeat itself? | Lynn Vincent

Two weeks ago, 41 little white crosses stood sentinel there, reaching toward heaven. This week there are 43.

On June 10, two baby girls, Serafina and Vidalia, were lowered into the cool earth of the Garden of Angels, a cemetery within a cemetery in Yucaipa, Calif. Each baby died on the day she was born. Someone dropped Vidalia into a Dumpster. Someone stuffed Serafina in a black trash bag and left her at a playground, where three children stumbled upon the plastic tomb. Southern California police detectives who investigated their deaths gave each baby her name. The detective who handled Vidalia's case joined 75 other strangers who cared at the babies' funeral service. Many wept as they mourned two little girls whose only swaddling clothes were the satin linings of two tiny coffins.