A bit scary to me...

curiously undead

tuned to a different freq
Joined
May 26, 2007
Messages
812
Location
standing under everyone
Joined
May 26, 2007
Messages
812
Location
standing under everyone
Are you shocked by the law itself or that California decided it needed the law?
 
Joined
Nov 11, 2006
Messages
1,807
Location
Orange County, California
good question
i'm still mulling it over.
it's seems very progressive, but i'm not certain.
 
Joined
May 26, 2007
Messages
812
Location
standing under everyone
Here's an example of why California created the Safe Haven Law:

Last month a 15-year old girl gave birth in the bathroom of a Denny's restaurant while vacationing in California with her family. She threw the baby in the trash and tried to conceal the fact that she'd given birth.

This law provides girls like that with an easy, confidential alternative.
 
Joined
Nov 11, 2006
Messages
1,807
Location
Orange County, California
i completely understand the reason for it.
i just wasn't aware there was a law, and that the count of abandoned babies was actually that high. but even one infant death merits a law. i guess i'm just suprised there aren't those who have been voicing concerns these parents should be held accountable. i guess that's a good sign. i personally have no idea how a normal adoption works anyhow to compare it to though. i guess its kind of similar to a suicide hotline in a way. death is not always the answer is a nice alternative that does save lives. anyone know how long suicide hotlines have been around?
 
Joined
May 26, 2007
Messages
812
Location
standing under everyone
i guess i'm just suprised there aren't those who have been voicing concerns these parents should be held accountable.
Which parents do you mean? The 15-year old girl and her boyfriend, or the 15-year old girl's parents? I think they both should be accountable. But some things are asking too much, and I'm sure everyone would agree that the baby's welfare should come first.

On the other hand, there are still places in the world where baby girls are thrown down wells.
 
Joined
Nov 11, 2006
Messages
1,807
Location
Orange County, California
Have a baby leave a baby, need a baby take a baby?

Works with pennies in a lot of shops...
 
Joined
Jun 17, 2007
Messages
658
My local hospital has this when I pulled up to emergency parking. I am in California so I was aware of this happening.

I just hope this is effective. Its a strange phenomena that goes on with young mothers and even the baby's fathers.

I remember it happening in my home town in Canada and the fuss it created (about 20 000 people). The city ended up closing a long staircase where she dumped the poor thing.

Its a shame that this program has to happen but we can only pray it works.
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
5,212
Location
The Uncanny Valley
We have the law here in Oklahoma, too. How many of the people who need it most are aware of it is the question, as babies keep getting left--and sometimes not just babies. This week in our local news a toddler was abandoned in Walmart when his shoplifter father ditched the shopping cart with him in it and ran for it. 5 days later the child's still unclaimed...

It's a hard world for children.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
7,834
It's actually good that a program like this is in place somewhere, as it can help prevent crueler treatment of unwanted babies, as well as alleviate some degree of guilt on the part of the parent(s).
It is something that happens, for whatever reason, and if a mother is able to leave the baby in proper care, she can get it later if she feels differently (after the utter terror has abated, for example) rather than leaving it to die and thus becoming a criminal and plagued with horrible guilt and whatnot.
 
Joined
Jun 17, 2007
Messages
658
Sounds like a good idea to me. Personally I would like to know my 15 year old had a baby so I could ground her until she was 70, but if the kid was born and abandoned at one of these places I guess it will be adopted or live in foster case, so at least it has a chance instead of being abandoned and left in a rubbish bin or on a staircase and it just being luck as to whether it is found while still alive.
 
Joined
Sep 1, 2007
Messages
229
Location
Australia
Indiana has a similar setup. All the hospitals have a "no questions asked" drop-off.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
13,535
Location
Illinois, USA
Yeah, enough 'babies in dumpsters' stories has led to these laws in most places. It is sad that it has to happen, but at least a safe haven is available. And it is sad that the weight problem has become so prevalent that you really can't tell if many of these kids are pregnant or not.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
14,932
After lots of discussions, we have in some federal states here a similar law or "rule".
This was mainly stated by several newspaper reports of tragic events with births of children or children which were found abandoned.

I support the law to give young women who don't know how to feed the baby because there is simply no money left or who must fear social criticism upon their babies an alternative to let a baby live an a relatively well-comforted environment, sometimes even better than what they would receive when they would stay at home.

This is a tough decision, I know, but it takes some of the guilt from the young women who can't support their children because of one reason or another.
 
Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Messages
21,908
Location
Old Europe
Some idiot here in Columbus just left a 6 hour newborn on the doorstep of an abandoned house a week or so ago; she/he probably figured somebody lived there. In any case, by blind luck a mailman found the child and it was only about six hours old and still had the umbilical cord attached. Sheesh.

What makes it even MORE irritating, is we have a very reasonable 'safe haven' law here in Ohio, where somebody can drop off an infant that they cannot care for that is less than 30 days old, at any hospital, fire station or police station.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/06/28/newborn.html
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
852
Location
Columbus, OH USA
Back
Top Bottom