A young woman has just given birth to a child. She’s scared and alone. She feels as if she is not able to care for the child on her own. Thankfully, there is an option available to her–Pennsylvania’s safe haven law.
Every state has a safe haven law, although the particulars vary from state to state. A distressed parent who is unable or unwilling to care for their infant can give up custody of their baby, no questions asked. They must simply bring the infant to a safe haven location and make sure they locate a person to leave the child with. In Pennsylvania, the law says you can leave your baby, up to 28 days old, with an administrative, managerial or security personnel at any hospital in Pennsylvania. The baby can be brought in by a family member, a friend, a priest or minister, a social worker—practically any responsible adult.
These laws help prevent tragic stories of babies left in dumpsters or public toilets. The parents who committed these acts may have been under severe emotional distress. The mothers may have hidden their pregnancies, fearful of what would happen if their families found out. Because they were afraid and had nowhere to turn for help, they abandoned their babies. They are more and more important with the growing instances of forced abortion. They give the mother who is being pressured into an abortion (especially a late term abortion) a third option—not abortion, but also not keeping a baby the mother may not be equipped to handle for whatever reason. Every pro-life advocate should familiarize him or herself with the law, either by reading up on it at http://safehaven.tv/states/pennsylvania/ or by calling 1-800-510-BABY.