BabySafeHaven
01-08-2005, 09:34 AM
MASSACHUSETTS
http://www.ecnnews.com/cgi-bin/04/s/sstory.pl?fn-baby08
State promotes program for abandoned newborns
By Dan Tuohy
Staff writer
BOSTON — The baby was tucked in a brown paper bag, then abandoned.
Rep. Barry Finegold, D-Andover, shook his head recalling the Worcester case
four years ago that inspired him to fight for a law giving new parents, whether
frightened or troubled, an opportunity to leave their newborn at a designated
"safe haven" like a hospital or a fire station.
"I couldn't believe anyone could give up a newborn, let alone leave it in a
brown paper bag," Finegold said this week as the state ramped up a $200,000
campaign to promote Baby Safe Haven.
The law took effect in October. Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, a Beverly resident,
launched the program's awareness campaign Monday.
Led by the Department of Social Services, the campaign features a marketing
blitz with radio ads and posters on MBTA buses and trains. Two new billboards,
one in Boston and the other in Worcester, promote the program.
Its Web site, www.babysafehaven.com, also provides information on teen
pregnancy programs and adoption.
The law allows a parent to anonymously abandon a newborn who is less than 7
days old at a "safe haven" without facing any legal consequences. The safe
havens are any hospital emergency room or a manned fire station or police
station.
Before the law, parents found guilty of abandoning a baby faced up to five
years in prison.
A "no questions asked" policy encourages parents giving up a newborn to provide
as much information as possible about identity, including the family's medical
history. The Department of Social Services would take custody of the child
before placing the child in a foster home. Parents are not automatically
stripped of their parental rights.
"Newborn abandonment is an avoidable tragedy that we are determined to stamp
out in Massachusetts," Healey said in launching the awareness campaign in
Lexington. "Working together, we will spread the word that every child,
regardless of circumstance, can receive a loving, supportive start to life."
The program includes a new statewide safe haven hot line, (866) 814-SAFE, where
trained staff can respond with information, support or crisis intervention. Its
marketing slogan is, "If you can't keep your baby, you can keep your baby
safe."
Harry Spence, commissioner of the Department of Social Services, said the newly
created safe haven board is committed to providing a safety net for troubled or
scared new parents.
"Our goal is to save lives," he said.
Finegold agreed, and he rebutted some groups' comments during the legislative
debate that a safe haven program would encourage abandonment.
Finegold said he first proposed the legislation in 2000, when 20 states had
such a law. He said now about 45 states have a safe haven law.
The law expires June 30, 2008, a date chosen as a window to give the safe haven
route a chance.
The law also established a comprehensive review of how effective the program
is, a study whose researchers include those from the Department of Social
Services, Alliance on Teen Pregnancy and the Center for Adoption Research at
the University of Massachusetts.
http://www.ecnnews.com/cgi-bin/04/s/sstory.pl?fn-baby08
State promotes program for abandoned newborns
By Dan Tuohy
Staff writer
BOSTON — The baby was tucked in a brown paper bag, then abandoned.
Rep. Barry Finegold, D-Andover, shook his head recalling the Worcester case
four years ago that inspired him to fight for a law giving new parents, whether
frightened or troubled, an opportunity to leave their newborn at a designated
"safe haven" like a hospital or a fire station.
"I couldn't believe anyone could give up a newborn, let alone leave it in a
brown paper bag," Finegold said this week as the state ramped up a $200,000
campaign to promote Baby Safe Haven.
The law took effect in October. Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, a Beverly resident,
launched the program's awareness campaign Monday.
Led by the Department of Social Services, the campaign features a marketing
blitz with radio ads and posters on MBTA buses and trains. Two new billboards,
one in Boston and the other in Worcester, promote the program.
Its Web site, www.babysafehaven.com, also provides information on teen
pregnancy programs and adoption.
The law allows a parent to anonymously abandon a newborn who is less than 7
days old at a "safe haven" without facing any legal consequences. The safe
havens are any hospital emergency room or a manned fire station or police
station.
Before the law, parents found guilty of abandoning a baby faced up to five
years in prison.
A "no questions asked" policy encourages parents giving up a newborn to provide
as much information as possible about identity, including the family's medical
history. The Department of Social Services would take custody of the child
before placing the child in a foster home. Parents are not automatically
stripped of their parental rights.
"Newborn abandonment is an avoidable tragedy that we are determined to stamp
out in Massachusetts," Healey said in launching the awareness campaign in
Lexington. "Working together, we will spread the word that every child,
regardless of circumstance, can receive a loving, supportive start to life."
The program includes a new statewide safe haven hot line, (866) 814-SAFE, where
trained staff can respond with information, support or crisis intervention. Its
marketing slogan is, "If you can't keep your baby, you can keep your baby
safe."
Harry Spence, commissioner of the Department of Social Services, said the newly
created safe haven board is committed to providing a safety net for troubled or
scared new parents.
"Our goal is to save lives," he said.
Finegold agreed, and he rebutted some groups' comments during the legislative
debate that a safe haven program would encourage abandonment.
Finegold said he first proposed the legislation in 2000, when 20 states had
such a law. He said now about 45 states have a safe haven law.
The law expires June 30, 2008, a date chosen as a window to give the safe haven
route a chance.
The law also established a comprehensive review of how effective the program
is, a study whose researchers include those from the Department of Social
Services, Alliance on Teen Pregnancy and the Center for Adoption Research at
the University of Massachusetts.
