Last Thursday, a Senate committee held a public hearing on a bill that would add to our state’s safe haven law. The current law allows a parent to anonymously relinquish a newborn baby up to seventy-two hours old to a member of law enforcement, or an EMT official, or a hospital staff member. The bill in question would allow certain qualified facilities to install a “baby box,” whereby someone can relinquish a newborn completely anonymously in a safe and secure way. The bill has bipartisan support.
The baby box idea originated with a Korean pastor who built a baby drop box at his home, where babies could be safely dropped off and cared for by this pastor and his wife. Adding baby boxes to our safe haven law would help remove the fear of interacting with a person when relinquishing a newborn and can help keep women from making horrible decisions out of fear and desperation.
