There are times in a person’s life when they may become pregnant unexpectedly. Sometimes when this happens, women are not exactly sure what to do when the time comes to give birth or care for their new baby.
Many factors play into the care and upbringing of a child.
When women have no help or support, they find it difficult to decide what they should do with their newborn child. Some don’t always have a place to turn to.
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That’s why all 50 states across America took action.
Many states have their own version of the Abandoned Infant Protection Act which allows a parent to abandon a newborn baby up to 30 days of age anonymously and without fear of prosecution if the baby is abandoned in a safe manner.
One method states have developed to safely surrender a newborn provides an important resource for parents.
One resource that has been developed over the years is a “Safe Haven Baby Box” which recently went viral on TikTok after the founder shared a video about how these boxes work.
Shared to the account @safehavenbabyboxes, the video shows the world how to use the boxes.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes are installed at either local fire departments or hospitals. They provide a safe place for parents in crisis to surrender their child and begin the process of finding an adoptive family. The boxes are equipped to alert authorities when the boxes are used and once a baby is inside.
Once the baby is inside, the box cannot be open again from the outisde.
The Safe Haven Baby Box also has an orange bag that includes resources for surrendering parents. Once the parent has surrendered their child, they can simply take the bag of resources and walk away, no questions asked.
The boxes open from the inside of the hospital or firehouse.
An emergency responder retrieves the baby from a door on the inside of their facility, evaluates the child, and takes them to the ER.
The founder of the Safe Haven Baby Box, Monica Kelsey, says she was inspired after being abandoned by her own mother.
Monica grew up with an adoptive family, but it wasn’t until she was an adult that learned her mother abandoned her a few hours after giving birth.
It was during a trip to South Africa where Monica saw a baby box in action.
She realized she could bring this idea to the United States to help parents who needed to surrender their newborns in a safe manner, just as her own mother had done.
Currently, there are 60 baby box locations in multiple states.
The main focus is to protect newborn babies. The organization behind the Safe Haven Baby Box also offers a 24-hour hotline to assist parents in crisis.
Many people on TikTok said they wished more states had these boxes.
Many shared that they wished it was more widespread and that more states had this option for children who need more than their parents can currently give them.
One TikTok user even said her son was a Safe Haven baby.
Some babies surrendered through the Safe Haven program are placed with adoptive families. Safe Haven Baby Boxes says that since the installation of the baby boxes in states like Indiana, the number of deceased, abandoned infants has declined or been reduced to zero.
Another user said she herself was a Safe Haven baby.
Monica responded to the user’s comment and said that she was “thankful” the user’s birth mom made a selfless decision to keep her daughter safe.
For many people online, this was the first time they had heard about Safe Haven Baby Boxes.
Many agreed that while the circumstances can be difficult and sad for the birth parents, these boxes give them the option to do what’s best for the baby.
Others said they love that these boxes exist for parents who need help.
Many people said that it’s a great outlet for parents who are looking for an option and gives them a place to make the “right choice.”
For more information about Safe Haven Baby Boxes, be sure to visit their website.
