AUSTIN (KXAN) — There’s a new change to a longtime law in Texas that allows someone to give up a baby, leaving them at a safe place like a fire, EMS or police station.
In the past, a person was required to physically leave an infant with an employee on site.
Now, “baby boxes” could now be installed throughout Texas, allowing a person to surrender a child anonymously. However, there are a number of logistics to figure out before this happens.
Nonetheless, there has been a longtime push from advocates, like Pamela Allen, to help get this legislation passed.
Allen is the CEO of the nonprofit Eagle’s Flight Advocacy and Outreach. Through her organization, she has organized funerals for abandoned and abused infants.
“We did a double burial [one time], Allen said. “Our sheriff was doing a drug raid and found a baby’s mummified body in a suitcase…when we were getting ready to organize that burial, we get a phone call that a woman who had lived on the streets. She brought a baby to the hospital where it had just died, and she abandoned that baby’s body at the hospital.”
Allen said her organization has had burials for five abandoned babies in the San Antonio area. It’s why she feels the new law will help save lives.
“Some of these babies who were so horrifically abused could have been safely surrendered,” Allen said.
Safe Haven is the name of the company that created these boxes. The boxes have a regulated temperature and connect to the inside of a safe location like a fire, EMS, police station or hospital.
Though the legislature doesn’t make having these boxes at every station mandatory, some are already looking into how feasible this is.
“There are several logistical challenges,” Michael Broadwater, a division chief for Austin-Travis County EMS, said. “Cost number one. Those boxes are about $11,000 a piece, and we have almost 50 stations.”
According to Broadwater, they’re looking at ways they could manage something like this.
“Our stations are technically staffed 24/7…but many of our crews will leave on a call and be gone for hours…we certainly want to look at every option that we can to help ensure the safety of a baby,” he said.
Our partners at the Texas Tribune reported in 2022 hardly anyone surrendered babies under the Baby Moses law. Less than 200 were given up since 2009.
Allen looks forward to seeing the new law’s impact.
“It’s been…almost eight years that we’ve been rallying,” she said.
Safe Haven baby boxes are already used in 10 states.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — There’s a new change to a longtime law in Texas that allows someone to give up a baby, leaving them at a safe place like a fire, EMS or police station.
In the past, a person was required to physically leave an infant with an employee on site.
Now, “baby boxes” could now be installed throughout Texas, allowing a person to surrender a child anonymously. However, there are a number of logistics to figure out before this happens.
Nonetheless, there has been a longtime push from advocates, like Pamela Allen, to help get this legislation passed.
Allen is the CEO of the nonprofit Eagle’s Flight Advocacy and Outreach. Through her organization, she has organized funerals for abandoned and abused infants.
“We did a double burial [one time], Allen said. “Our sheriff was doing a drug raid and found a baby’s mummified body in a suitcase…when we were getting ready to organize that burial, we get a phone call that a woman who had lived on the streets. She brought a baby to the hospital where it had just died, and she abandoned that baby’s body at the hospital.”
Allen said her organization has had burials for five abandoned babies in the San Antonio area. It’s why she feels the new law will help save lives.
“Some of these babies who were so horrifically abused could have been safely surrendered,” Allen said.
Safe Haven is the name of the company that created these boxes. The boxes have a regulated temperature and connect to the inside of a safe location like a fire, EMS, police station or hospital.
Though the legislature doesn’t make having these boxes at every station mandatory, some are already looking into how feasible this is.
“There are several logistical challenges,” Michael Broadwater, a division chief for Austin-Travis County EMS, said. “Cost number one. Those boxes are about $11,000 a piece, and we have almost 50 stations.”
According to Broadwater, they’re looking at ways they could manage something like this.
“Our stations are technically staffed 24/7…but many of our crews will leave on a call and be gone for hours…we certainly want to look at every option that we can to help ensure the safety of a baby,” he said.
Our partners at the Texas Tribune reported in 2022 hardly anyone surrendered babies under the Baby Moses law. Less than 200 were given up since 2009.
Allen looks forward to seeing the new law’s impact.
“It’s been…almost eight years that we’ve been rallying,” she said.
Safe Haven baby boxes are already used in 10 states.