Safe Havens Law

April 10, 2018

For most parents, the anticipated arrival of their infant children is a joyous and exciting time. But, unfortunately, there are also rare instances where infants have been abandoned, and sometimes left to die.

That is why the Safe Havens Law was put in place to give parents a safe and private option that allows anyone to drop off a newborn baby (30 days old or younger) at any hospital emergency room in Connecticut.

The care and safety of infants is a serious matter - since 2000, Connecticut is one of the states with a Safe Havens Law that has saved 33 infants from abandonment and near death.

If the parents of the child change their minds within 30 days, they may petition to get the baby back. Otherwise, the state will begin an expedited adoption process.

By providing parents in distress a blame-free option, the law prevents infant abandonment and neonaticide.

Young women with no support or resources who have just given birth are particularly vulnerable to committing an act of desperation. That’s one of the reasons I support a bill passed out of the Education Committee this session, HB 5446, which contains language that would require education about the law in public high school health curriculum. The proposal, nicknamed “10 Minutes in 10th Grade,” came out of recommendations produced by the legislature’s Safe Havens Working Group.

It's important that we continue to raise awareness of this life-saving law so that every newborn finds a safe and loving home.