Florida Safe Baby Act rescues teen mothers

Juvenile Justice Digest, Mar 5, 2003

Florida's two-year-old program that allows parents to leave newborn infants at hospitals and fire stations without fear of prosecution is rescuing teen mothers and babies, officials said.

Although the numbers are small, 11 infants in two years, the rescue operation has been effective in helping some teen mothers understand their options. During the same period, mothers discarded 14 infants. Five died.

So far, the women who have taken advantage of the law are young single mothers who have hidden their pregnancies from families and school authorities.

To spread information about the program, the Florida Department of Children and Families has a $100,000 budget for public service announcements, billboards and circulars at schools and clinics.

The nonprofit Safe Haven for Newborns also places billboards and public service announcements,

"'The law is not a cure-all," said Safe Haven for Newborns founder Nick Silverio. "But it's certainly a compassionate approach. And it's making a difference."

Florida passed the Safe Baby Act in July 2000 soon after authorities discovered six abandoned infants in five weeks and following discovery of dead babies stuffed in garbage pails in 1998 and 1999.

Since 1999, when Texas passed the first law granting amnesty to mothers for bringing their babies to designated locations, 41 states have passed so-called "safe haven" laws.