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Newborn Found Alive In Dryer
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It's happened again in the U.S. - a newborn baby was found abandoned in a dryer in a Texas apartment complex, despite the fact that Texas has a safe haven law for newborns. A man throwing out his trash just happened to hear her small cries and notice her. She was stuffed in a trash bag and left in an old dryer. The baby is safe, thankfully, but if she hadn't been found quickly enough she might be dead by now.
Here in Colorado, we have a similar law -- the Colorado Safe Haven Law. This law allows a parent to surrender an unwanted newborn to a firefighter or hospital personnel. Parents can anonymously hand over his or her baby, up to 72 hours old, with no questions asked.
The law promises complete confidentiality and, as long as the baby is unharmed, no criminal charges will be filed. The parent doesn't have to stick around but if they do, they might be asked to fill out a brief medical questionnaire to provide medical information that may be helpful to the new parents.
The Safe Haven Law is designed to prevent the death of newborns by giving a desperate parent a safe alternative to abandoning or hiding an unwanted infant. Since it’s inception in 2001, the Safe Haven Law has been used more than 25 times across the state.
The sad news is that not every woman knows about this law, or how to apply it. Several infant deaths have occurred since the inception of the law as a result. There are close to 400,000 women and girls between the ages of 13 and 24 in Colorado. We must insure every one of them knows about this law.
To learn more about a parent's options under the Safe Haven Law, call this toll-free, multilingual hotline: 1-888-510-BABY or go to coloradosafehavenfornewborns.org
Thinking about foster parenting? Learn about foster parent requirements and PRIDE classes. If you don't have time to be a foster parent, consider becoming a CASA.
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