Thursday, October 04, 2007

Safe Haven Laws

I know I have posted stories like this before...but:


THIS STORY makes me sick to my stomach. In it, yet another baby is found - this one was a baby girl with curly black hair and fair skin in a pickle jar, the coroner figured it was about a 7 month old fetus, umbilical cord still attached. The kicker was that a substance that is found in pain killers was found in her chest and abdominal fluids...so the parent(s) give her pain killers, then stuff her in a pickle jar to die...

I don't know how well known the Safe Haven Laws are - but basically it allows a parent(s) to bring a newborn to a hospital or fire station and drop the baby off - with no legal action. Normally, if you abandon a newborn you face abandonment charges, but this is supposed to encourage those who would 'dispose' of the child themselves to drop them off instead. No id check is required, no paperwork, nothing. I know that there are problems with this - and some people adamantly oppose the law saying it creates mothers who will hide a pregnancy, get no medical care and then 'legally abandon' the baby... I don't think it will create anything that isn't already there...this law is simply in place to give a 'depositing station' to children who would have been left in dumpsters...or pickle jars.

I want to know what you think...does this law create problems??

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Alot of Other states have this law and I think it does save babies.
Oprah has done a show about the safe haven law.
Thru time girls and women have always hidden unwanted pregnancies. What is important is that the babies don't suffer, or know that they were unwanted.

Kim

Ryann said...

That is just sick. I try to avoid stories like that as it makes me visualize my own kids that way. I think the safe haven law is a blessing. Hopefully, as it gains more attention it will be used more readily.

Anonymous said...

A lot of people are just waiting for the chance.

This is such a sad thing to happen in this day and age. So many people are dying to have or take care of a little one. God help us all.