June 7, 2005

Saving lives through the Safely Surrender Baby Law

By County Supervisor
Jim Beall
Special to the Times

Unfortunately, incidents of infant abandonment continue to happen in our community. Despite increased efforts to address this issue, many people have not received the following life-saving information: A parent or legal guardian may confidentially surrender an infant; 3 days old or younger without any fear of arrest or prosecution for child abandonment, to any hospital emergency room.

I am gravely concerned about the lack of public awareness of the Safely Surrendered Baby Law. As a board member and a local community resident, I believe that the county must not only meet the minimum requirement of the Safely Surrendered Baby Law, but it must also demonstrate strong leadership in getting the message out to the community. “Safe Haven” sites exist where guardians can safely and confidentially surrender a baby knowing that there is no judgment or prosecution for such action.

Although I do not condone the decision of a parent or a guardian to abandon their infant, I do believe that the county must, in compliance with the law, ensure that each child is appropriately cared for and possibly adopted by a nurturing family.
 
Our county needs to do more to raise awareness and establish partnerships to provide safe and appropriate care of at-risk infants. While child abandonment occurs infrequently, it is critical that we do all that we do all we can to prevent this needless tragedy.

The board of supervisors approved the establishment of a Safe Haven Taskforce to develop an extensive outreach campaign that builds community awareness of the law and locations of sites. I am committed to expanding the program to educate and outreach to faith-based and non-English speaking communities.

I believe we can prevent future baby abandonment in our community. A life of a baby is priceless, and ensuring that all babies have a nurturing family requires the entire community’s commitment. If you have any concerns or suggestions, please contact my office at (408) 299-5040.