[1] The law was introduced in order to prevent infanticides, the killings of newborn children outside of marriage, and granted mothers both the right and the means for an anonymous birth.
Its 1856 amendment however restricted this to a mere confidential birth, where the midwife was ordered to keep the mother's name in a sealed envelope to allow the grown-up child to request undisclosure of its biological ancestry.
It allowed for mothers to give birth anonymously, to spare them social embarrassment and difficulty.
The word "stepmother" disappeared from most official papers, as a married woman taking care of the children in her household would be recognized legally as their mother.
The midwife was now ordered to advise the mother at a secret birth to write down her name and home address in a sealed envelope.