Earlier this week the State Assembly gave the final vote on a bill to expand the existing safe haven law to include the use of “Baby Boxes.” Wisconsin’s safe haven law allows a parent to relinquish anonymously an infant not more than seventy-two hours old to a hospital worker, a member of law enforcement, or to an EMT professional at a fire station. The baby boxes would allow the parent to relinquish the newborn without having to interact with anyone. The bill is now headed to the governor.
Our current safe haven law has already prevented numerous newborns from being tragically abandoned. The hope is that with the complete anonymity that the boxes provide, even more babies will be rescued. These boxes have all kinds of safeguards built in to protect the baby. This is a bipartisan bill that the governor should be able to sign.
