A BOLTON MP is backing moves to give Romanian mums the best Mother's Day present ever .... a life with their babies.

David Crausby is supporting a campaign to help poverty stricken mums forced to abandon their babies in orphanages.

He has joined other MPs putting pressure on the Government to support the European Childrens' Trust Mother's Day Appeal.

Last year the Trust set up a centre to provide accommodation, training and counselling for young mothers who believe they have no choice but to leave their babies in orphanages.

But they say many more maternal centres are needed to deal with the large number of mothers at risk of losing their children.

Mr Crausby is among a number of MPs who have signed a parliamentary motion urging Overseas Development Minister Clare Short to ensure sufficient Government funds are available to keep families together.

Mr Crausby said 95pc of the 100,000 children on Romanian orphanages are not orphans because their parents are alive.

He said: "There are huge pressures on women to give up their children. Staff at the centres will be able to intervene when the women through poverty or lack of family support, feel they have no choice but to give up their baby.

"This intervention is essential if we are ever going to combat the human tragedy of one and half million children growing up in the state institutions of central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union."

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