Does your state have a 'safe haven' law?

[Cuban_Liberal]

Just watching a story on CNN about FL's 'safe haven' law which allows mothers of babies up to 3 says-old to abandon their children at fire stations, hopsitals and emergency-medical facilities w/o fear of prosecution. IL has a very similar law, and last year over 1700 mothers took advantage of it, and I think it's a good law.

:)

[Gman]

1. Texas has a very good one

Maybe 3 or 4 mothers have taken advantage of it in the last 3 or 4 months here locally.

[Cuban_Liberal]

3. It's a 'do the right thing' law, IMO.

It allows a new mother to do the right thing, rather than something unimaginably awful, which is to the benefit of both her and the baby. :)

[waylon]

2. A Good Law???

Are you serious? Abandond babies is a good thing?

Did I miss the punch line somewhere?

[Cuban_Liberal]

You must have missed this:

They can only abandon them at a hospital, fire station or emergency-medical facility. Beats the hell out of a dumpster, wouldn't you agree?

[waylon]

9. Didnt miss a thing...

you are focusing on where they dump their children, I am focused on why.

The larger issue is the cultural acceptance of abandoning babies. I find it reprehensible.

[Cuban_Liberal]

21. Ummmm...OK

What do you suggest we do, then, since thes laws are obviously so evil?

[waylon]

22. Encourage responsibility.... its that easy!

It can start in high school or whatever. Social services ARE available if they are educated about them.

The laws arent evil, just misguided and amoral.

[BayCityProgressive]

4. Jennifer Granholm

passed this in Michigan as well. I would rather a mother is able to take their child to a safe place and not be persecuted than kill it or give it to someone who will not take care of it.

[LynneSin]

5. It's a very good law

I mean, the mother is "abandoning" the child, but she's really just giving up the child without fear of prosecution. Too many timese these babies end up in dumpsters dead. At least with the "Safe Haven" law the baby stays alive and possible gets a new home. Sometimes it's the mother that just needs some help getting through this tough time and in some situations they'll help the mother get through this while the child stays in a Foster Home. Post Partum depression is real, Safe Haven laws can prevent a mother from doing something rash if she is dealing with depression after the birth.

On edit note: One only needs to look to Delaware to find out what happens when babies are born to parents who are scared out of their mind: Amy Grossberg and Brian Peterson and a dumpster at a Days Inn in Bear DE. Maybe if they had a Safe Haven place (this happened before laws like this existed), that baby would still be alive.

[waylon]

7. Its horrible

Seventeen year old kid decides she doesnt want to deal with a baby. Why NOT dump it? No reason not to. Responsibility is discouraged and life is a "deposit here" issue.

Its sickening what has become acceptable and how people intellectualize the reasoning behind it.

[arissa]

8. I suppose it is better then

to let babies die, just so we can stubbornly "teach a lesson" to those damn irresponsible mothers? Yeah, that's a good trade-off.

[waylon]

10. Or we could hold "mothers" to a legal and moral standard

Much like we do with 5 year olds. Do these laws apply to that age? At what point does it become illegal to dump your baby? How do we determine at what age its ok to abandon life?

I guess newborns are ok since they dont know any better. 3 year olds is questionable because they have become "familiar" with the mother. But at 5 years old, when they can speak....NOPE, thats illegal!


Yeah, makes perfect sense to me!!!

[arissa]

11. Sure, we could

I mean, the baby would be dead, but at least we could shake our heads at the mother and think "What went wrong?!?"

[waylon]

13. So, we have NO other recourse

but to make it convenient for kids to be abandond? And our primary concern is that the mother doesnt go to jail?

I ask you, how would a 15 year old kid KNOW that it is legal to dump her baby at some "convenient" repository? More importantly, how often do babies end up in dumpsters?

This isnt a "shaking our heads" issue, this is common sense!

[arissa]

15. No, the primary concern is that the kid is safe and alive

The mother not going to jail part is a means to that end. You're displaying a complete lack of understanding of the reality of the situation.

[waylon]

17. Well my primary concern is...

a 3 year old that Id rather not have to pay for, how bout him?

At what age does it become illegal to abandon a child? Hope Im not too late!!!!

My understanding is solid. I understand that you are interested in helping mothers get rid of their babies/adolescents/teenagers when it is convenient, safe, and free from responsibility.

[arissa]

18. You're really starting to not even make any sense

Your sentences don't seem to be relevant or make any sense. You also seem to be obsessed with punishing the mother for making a bad decision and completely ignoring the interests of the poor baby who didn't get to choose their parents.

[waylon]

20. How am I not making sense?

Are you not understanding what I am saying, or am I not being clear. Give me an example of what you dont understand and I will reiterate my point.

I am not obsessed with punishment. I am concerned that creating a culture where life is something to be "left at a convenient location" is not truly "caring" for our children. Its perpetuating the problem, not dealing with it. Its keeping the problem out of the newspapers, not helping correct it.

[Kat45]

23. Fathers abandon their babies/children much more often

If they don't want to pay for their kid, they don't send their child support. Fathers sometimes just leave when the woman gets pregnant because they don't want the responsibility of being a father. Sometimes they are found and ordered to pay for their child, sometimes not. But the responsibility always falls on the mother, whether she can handle it or not. Why should she get punished if she wants to give up her baby? Without these laws, one who left her baby at a hospital so it would be cared for would get arrested for it, and I find that absurd. If arrest is the result of that, she would be more likely to leave it in a dumpster.

[philosophie_en_rose]

14. Think of it this way.

They are giving their children up for adoption. They are choosing to give their children a better life than they can provide at the moment, which is far more compassionate and responsible than keeping a child that one is unable to care for.

It's important to think about why babies are abandoned. Poverty, health conditions, a violent background: there should be social services to help. However, allowing people to voluntarily place their children in foster care is not evil. The baby is not really abandoned. She or he is in a safe place with plenty of people.

FYI, people can and do give up older children to foster care. There are a myriad of unfortunate reasons. Your argument is shallow and reprehensible.

[waylon]

19. This is not foster care, this is abandonment

Foster care is an acceptable choice to dumping. Foster care requires forethought, deliberation, and responsibility. Evidently, those are qualities you find shallow and reprehensible.

Do you understand that by encouraging this "convenient" opportunity for kids to abandon kids, they have absolutely NO reason to think about the consequences?

There are a myriad of social services available for mothers. This "dumping" issue is nothing but a way to preempt any societal intervention or counsel.

Your argument is sophmoric and amoral.

[Flaxbee]

12. dude, what would you have a woman do?

what if the mother is homeless, how is she going to care for the child? What if she's mentally or physically ill? Yes, by all means, teach that 17 year old to be responsible at the risk of her own child. Smart. Boy oh boy, that woman will surely learn a lesson in responsibility even if her child suffers because of it. You seem to think that it is preferable for a newborn to be deprived of a loving home and/or having proper care so that someone you consider to be an irresponsible twit learns a lesson.

It is sickening that some people substitute misplaced notions of "responsibility" for compassion and rationalize the suffering of a child just so some wayward teen, or homeless mother, or rape victim, or _____________ can "take responsibility". Way to go, champ.

[waylon]

16. Dude, that is what our social services are all about

This isnt about whether the child will die if we dont allow them to dump their babies somewhere convenient. This is about whether we will encourage mothers to be MOTHERS or whether we will encourage mothers to DUMP their babies.

Is this is a hostage situation? Either you take care of my baby or I will kill it? That appears to be the conclusion.

Mentally ill, physically ill, rape, incest, homeless whatever... if you ask for help, you CAN get it. Its not an either/or question. And it SHOULDNT be a hostage situation.

[LynneSin]

6. here's a link with state laws

http://www.amtchildrenofhope.com/safe_haven_law.htm