State lawmakers and hospital officials joined forces earlier this month to draw attention to a 15-year-old law that allows moms to give up newborn babies without the threat of arrest.
The “Safe Havens” law was passed in 2000 to prevent babies from being abandoned without care, and possibly dying.
So far 27 babies in Connecticut have been turned over to state care via hospitals in 15 years after their moms voluntarily gave them up, according to officials.
More recently, three newborn babies were turned over to hospitals in Connecticut during the first two months of 2016 The babies are now the adoption process.
The governor, state lawmakers and the state Department of Children and Families marked the law’s passage during “Safe Haven Day” April 4 in Hartford.
Meanwhile, state Rep. Themis Klarides, R‑Derby, and state Sen. Joseph Crisco, D‑Woodbridge, appeared at Griffin Hospital April 7 to tout the law.
“The purpose of Safe Havens Day is to make sure the public is aware about this law, and I think most people are not,” Klarides said at a press conference.
So far no babies have been left at Griffin.
How the Safe haven Act works:
— The law allows a parent to bring a baby 30 days or younger to a hospital emergency room, thus avoiding prosecution for abandonment.
— A nurse asks the parent for their name(s), and for medical info for the parents and child. The parent is required to give the information.
— The state Department of Children and Families obtains custody of the baby, and places the child with a family who is already licensed and intends to adopt the baby.
— The biological parents’ parental rights are eventually terminated through a civil process.
“Our number one concern is that these children are being taken care of, and they have an opportunity to have a rich and fulfilling life they otherwise wouldn’t have,” Klarides said.
While the law has been around for 15 years, babies are still abandoned.
In August 2014 a baby was found dead in the trash outside an East Hartford house. The mother was charged in connection to the death.
In January 2007 a Danbury teen was arrested in connection to the death of her newborn. She is serving a long prison sentence.
Dr. Gregory L. Boris, the chairman of the Griffin Hospital Department of Emergency Services, said raising awareness about a good law is important.
Pregnant women, particularly if they’re young, need to know help is out there, the doctor said.
While Griffin hasn’t had any newborns left in the emergency department, they’ve seen young moms deliver babies with no prenatal care.
“It’s a great law. It’s another vehicle to help mothers who may be uncertain of what to do. Certainly we are supportive of it here at Griffin,” Boris said.
Click this link to learn more about Connecticut’s Safe Havens law.
