The Lady Who Left Her Baby Outside

Today In History with The Retrospectors

As Annette Sorensen drank margaritas in a New York BBQ restaurant on May 10th, 1997, she left her 14 month-old daughter outside, in a stroller.

She spent two days in jail, was accused of child neglect, and was separated from her baby for four days. But Sorensen, a Danish visitor to the States, claimed she was following Scandinavian norms, and tried to sue for $20m.

In this episode, Olly, Rebecca and Arion examine whether leaving your baby outside in the street really IS a Danish custom, consider the culture clash between Copenhagen and NYC, and confess the weirdest places they’ve left their own children...

Further reading:

• The AP films Sorensen’s (first) court appearance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-KCeRHBzK4

• The New York Times covers the story in 1997:

https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/14/nyregion/toddler-left-outside-restaurant-is-returned-to-her-mother.html

• 20 years after the case, Annette Sorensen speaks to The Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/26/anette-sorenson-denmark-new-york-baby-left-outside

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