What is a Safe Haven Baby Box?
A Baby Box is a safety device provided for under state’s Safe Haven Law and legally permits a mother in crisis to safely, securely, and anonymously surrender if they are unable to care for their newborn. A Baby Box is installed in an exterior wall of a designated fire station or hospital. It has an exterior door that automatically locks upon placement of a newborn inside the Baby Box, and an interior door which allows a medical staff member to secure the surrendered newborn from inside the designated building.
How many babies have been saved through SHBB?
- The Safe Haven Baby Box organization staffs a 24-hour hotline (1-866-99BABY1) to give women the opportunity to talk to a trained professional as they consider safely surrendering their baby.
- Eight babies have been surrendered inside Safe Haven Baby Boxes since the first was installed in 2016. Two other babies have been surrendered at fire stations with Safe Haven Baby Boxes. Nationwide, 79 surrenders have resulted from calls to the Safe Haven Baby Boxes national hotline and 9 of those surrenders in 2019.
Do we really need a Safe Haven Baby Box?
- Reports of infant abandonment and death of infants from abandonment throughout the country continues even with the establishment of the Safe Haven Law in every state for the past 10 to 20 years.
- Many mothers-in-crisis want and need anonymity when surrendering an infant, due either to fear of recognition, the stigma associated with surrendering a child, or fear of prosecution due to ignorance and/or misunderstanding of the Safe Haven law.