Cologne, Germany - A controversial reality television show
in which parents lend their babies to teenagers can go ahead and be
aired, a German court ruled on Wednesday.
The Administrative Court in Cologne rejected a bid by a family
action group for an injunction against 'Adults on Trial,' due to be
launched Wednesday evening on the RTL television channel.
The programme, which has caused outrage in Germany, shows teenage
couples who are hoping to start a family caring for babies that have
been lent to them for four days.
Familiennetzwerk, an umbrella organization representing 100
different groups, claimed the programme would 'violate human rights'
and give the impression that 'renting out babies was normal.'
In rejecting the bid, the court ruled the show had already been
filmed and it was no longer possible to provide any help to the
babies if such assistance was needed.
Welcoming the court ruling, a spokeswoman for RTL said the aim of
the show was to prepare teenagers for parenthood and enable them to
take responsibility for children.
'Adults on Trial' shows the teenage couples changing nappies,
enduring sleepless nights and coping with screaming babies, while the
real parents watch from an adjacent house.
RTL said the babies 'donated' to the teenagers for the programme
were monitored around the clock by child psychologists and doctors.
The German parliament's commission for children accused RTL of
'exploiting children in an irresponsible manner.'
Family Affairs Minister Ursula von der Leyen had earlier called
for the programme to be scrapped, saying it ignored the rights of
children.
The idea for the show comes from Britain, where the BBC produced
an eight-part series, The Baby Borrowers, which allowed teenagers to
take full responsibility for the welfare of a child.
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