

Anonymous:
		If a woman has kept her pregnancy secret, the guarantee of anonymity will help alleviate her fear that someone will “find out.”
Unharmed:
		The guarantees of anonymity and immunity apply to those who bring in unharmed newborns. If a child has been (post birth) abused, neglected, or harmed, the guarantees do not apply. The police may be called. The person bringing the baby in may be charged.
3 Days:
		The first hours of a newborn’s life are the most vulnerable, therefore the most critical. Having a time frame associated with “Safe Place” conveys the importance of immediate action. If a woman has kept her pregnancy a secret, where is she hiding her newborn? If she is hiding the baby, in all likelihood, the newborn is not being kept warm and well fed.
Hospital:
		Hospital personnel are trained to respond to crisis and to offer needed medical attention and care. In addition, hospital employees will be trained in how to respond to a person who brings in a newborn to leave with “Safe Place.”
Without Fear of Prosecution:
		Child abandonment is against the law. However, if a woman, who might otherwise abandon her child, chooses to leave her newborn at a hospital in lieu of a more disastrous choice, she will not be prosecuted for abandonment.

Map will direct you to Safe Haven laws in other states.

Go to:

Links in your state

Safe Place for Newborns