Safe Haven Law
By: Meagan Fitzgerald
Updated: April 19, 2009
It's not very common that you hear of a parent killing their own baby. But, hearing it even once is one too many times.
Deborah Green is a nurse practitioner for Region 8, office of public health she said, "Women were abandoning their infants in ally ways or in dumpsters and so the state decided they needed to provide a safe way for a parent to relinquish their child."
She's talking about Louisiana's safe haven law. The law allows parents to give up their babies if they don't want them. All they have to do is take the baby to a designated safe haven. This can be done up to 30 days after the baby's birth.
Green said, "There are several types of facilities they can be any hospital any local public health unit, any fire station any police station any pregnancy crisis center or any advocacy center."
Green said, "If the mother can or is willing to we have a medical and genetic history form that we would like to get filled out."
But, Green says it's not mandatory. It's something that helps with adoption procedures. The bigger goal is making sure the child is safe.
Green said, "We just don't want babies to be placed in dumpsters or ally ways when the mom just doesn't feel like she knows what to do or how to take care of the child because there are many loving homes that want these children."
Deborah Green is a nurse practitioner for Region 8, office of public health she said, "Women were abandoning their infants in ally ways or in dumpsters and so the state decided they needed to provide a safe way for a parent to relinquish their child."
She's talking about Louisiana's safe haven law. The law allows parents to give up their babies if they don't want them. All they have to do is take the baby to a designated safe haven. This can be done up to 30 days after the baby's birth.
Green said, "There are several types of facilities they can be any hospital any local public health unit, any fire station any police station any pregnancy crisis center or any advocacy center."
Green said, "If the mother can or is willing to we have a medical and genetic history form that we would like to get filled out."
But, Green says it's not mandatory. It's something that helps with adoption procedures. The bigger goal is making sure the child is safe.
Green said, "We just don't want babies to be placed in dumpsters or ally ways when the mom just doesn't feel like she knows what to do or how to take care of the child because there are many loving homes that want these children."
