MOBILE, Ala. — USA Health Children’s and Women’s Hospital announced it held a dedication ceremony on Wednesday to mark the opening of the first safe haven baby box in the Mobile area. The box is now available for parents to anonymously surrender their newborns for adoption.
Once a baby is surrendered, an examination will be performed by hospital staff members, and the Alabama Department of Human Resources will be notified.
Baby boxes are part of the safe haven movement, which has close ties to anti-abortion activism. The boxes offer a way for desperate mothers to surrender their newborn babies without speaking to anyone or being seen. Advocates of the safe haven movement say the boxes give these parents a way to avoid hurting, abandoning, or even killing their children, reports the New York Times. The boxes are normally located in hospitals and fire stations.
All 50 States Have Safe Haven Laws
Although the anonymous infant surrender concept dates back to the Middle Ages in Europe, states in the U.S. began passing so-called safe haven laws in 1999. Now every state has its own version, and 12 states allow for baby boxes or other ways for babies to be safely surrendered.
——Article Continues Below——
Alabama expanded its safe haven law in 2023 to include baby boxes installed on the exterior walls of hospitals and fire stations that have emergency personnel on site at all times. When an infant is placed inside a baby box, an alarm alerts staff members at the hospital.
Critics say safe haven laws aren’t tailored for the communities most likely to use them, reports Stateline. Additionally, more than half of the newborns surrendered have developmental or health issues, often due to inadequate prenatal care.
Many adoption and women’s health experts say safe haven surrenders are indications the mothers fell through the cracks, reports the New York Times. They may have hidden their pregnancies, not sought care when they were pregnant, are victims of domestic violence or rape by a relative, are homeless, are mentally ill, and/or are addicted to drugs.
Experts say with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, safe haven infant surrenders will most likely increase. Currently, they are rare.
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual abuse, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673 or chat online at online.rainn.org.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 (SAFE), text “START”.
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66db6939a04144779bfff909106ac435&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.campussafetymagazine.com%2Fnews%2Falabama-hospital-opens-safe-haven-baby-box-for-parents-to-give-up-newborns-anonymously%2F161595%2F&c=15218151401577858206&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-09-06 09:11:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.