The Safe Surrender Baby Law allows a parent or person with lawful custody to surrender a baby confidentially, without fear of arrest or prosecution for child abandonment. This law allows for at least a 14-day cooling off period , which begins the day the child is voluntarily surrendered.
Is Safe Surrender legal?
The state of California passed the Safely Surrendered Baby Law to give parents or guardians the choice to legally and safely leave a baby three days old or younger with an employee at any Los Angeles County hospital or fire station, no questions asked.
What is the safe surrender law?
Why is the Safe Surrender Law Necessary? The law , passed in 2001, is intended to prevent newborn abandonment and homicide . ... The law provides parents in crisis who feel they have no other choice a way to surrender their baby safely without providing the parents’ name.
Can a biological father do Safe Surrender?
A birth parent or person with “lawful custody” may voluntarily and anonymously surrender a baby within 72-hours of birth to an on-duty person at a hospital or on-duty personnel at a designated safe surrender site without being prosecuted for failure to provide and/or abandonment.
Where do safe surrender babies go?
Safe surrender sites are hospitals or other locations , typically fire stations, approved by the board of supervisors or fire agency in each county. To request Safely Surrendered Baby Kits, please complete the order form, Safely Surrendered Baby Kit Order Form.
Is it legal to abandon your child?
Child abandonment is illegal in the United States , and depending upon the facts of the case and laws of the state in which it occurs could be prosecuted as a misdemeanor or felony criminal offense.
What states have safe surrender laws?
Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Carolina, and Vermont . The safe haven provider is required to accept emergency protective custody of the infant and to provide any immediate medical care that the infant may require.
How many babies are safe surrender?
Almost 1,000 babies have been safely surrendered since California’s Safely Surrendered Baby Law was created in 2001. Its intent is to save lives and prevent babies from being abandoned in unsafe locations.
Can you relinquish babies?
A parent or guardian, having lawful custody who is unable or unwilling to care for an infant can legally and confidentially surrender a baby 72 hours or younger to any designated fire station or hospital with an emergency room in California. ... A baby can be safely surrendered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week .
Can you drop a baby off at?
Laws throughout most states (and many other locations) have made it possible for unwanted newborns and children up to age one to be dropped off at various locations with no questions asked and without the threat of prosecution. The baby must be unharmed and showing no signs of neglect or abuse.
Where do abandoned babies go?
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE RELINQUISHED NEWBORN
DCFS is notified of the relinquishment and, if not already at a medical facility, the infant is taken to the nearest hospital to receive medical care . DCFS then appoints a licensed adoption agency to arrange for placement of the infant with an adoptive family.
Do babies get stolen from hospitals?
Of the reported 235 reported cases 117 abductions—or 50%—have occurred in the hospital setting. Most children taken from the hospital—57%—are taken from their mother’s room. Roughly 15% each are taken from the newborn nursery, other pediatric wards, or from other parts of the hospital grounds.
How many babies are abandoned each year?
A federal study has found that at least 22,000 babies are left in hospitals each year by parents unwilling or unable to care for them, indicating for the first time how widespread the nation’s “boarder baby” problem has become.
What is it called when you drop a baby off at a fire station?
Safe-haven laws (also known in some states as “ Baby Moses laws “, in reference to the religious scripture) are statutes in the United States that decriminalize the leaving of unharmed infants with statutorily designated private persons so that the child becomes a ward of the state.
Why fathers abandon their child?
According to David Brooks, the author of the article “Why Fathers Leave Their Children”, fathers don’t simply abandon their families out of laziness or lack of love; they leave because they feel unworthy . Fathers tend to go into parenthood with unrealistic standards, which ultimately sets them up for failure.
What happens if parents abandon their child?
A court will take the factors listed above into consideration – but the penalties may include fines, termination of parental rights, supervised access to the child, and jail time . In addition, a person may face reckless abandonment charges of a greater penalty if a child dies as a result of the desertion.
