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Kansas City, MO – Safe Haven laws are designed to protect abandoned newborns from harm or death. Both Missouri and Kansas have had laws on the books for several years. But as KCUR's Elana Gordon reports, local children's advocates worry the statutes may be underused.
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Safe Haven laws allow parents to safely turn over a newborn without fear of prosecution.
In Missouri, this can happen at hospitals, ambulance stations, fire stations, and police stations. In Kansas, it can happen at health departments, hospitals, and fire stations.
Debby Howland coordinates the Kansas City Child Abuse Roundtable Coalition. She says it's hard to know just how many newborns in this region have died or been injured as a result of being abandoned. But she says there have been a handful of known cases - most recently in October, when a mother left her child in a dumpster in Emporia, Kansas.
Howland says a big problem is parents may feel afraid to hand over a child.
"They're fearful they will be found out - their name, their address, that law enforcement will follow them," Howland says. "But there should be no fear of prosecution if you're doing the right thing to keep your baby safe."
Howland says the coalition recently stepped up efforts to highlight this. The group started posting signs at designated safe-haven sites to indicate they're safe places to relinquish a newborn (when staff's on hand). And, United Way's 2-1-1 resource hotline now has information about the laws.
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