Indiana Introduces First ‘Safe Haven Baby Boxes’ for Abandoned Newborns

The state of Indiana has created an avenue where mothers can safely put their unwanted babies for the government to see and take care of them rather than abandon, kill or drop them in pits or rivers .

The state has installed two ‘baby boxes’ where mothers can anonymously drop off unwanted newborns as an extension of the state’s safe haven law.

According to NBC, it was gathered that as part of an initiative to give mothers in crisis a safe place to surrender their newborns, two ‘Safe Haven Baby Boxes’ were recently opened to them at Indiana fire stations, said Kelsey, a volunteer firefighter and founder of the non-profit that created the boxes.

She said: “I was abandoned as an infant back in 1973, so I’ve always been very close to the safe haven law.”

The baby box is made in a way that when it is opened, a call is immediately placed to 911, and fire and medical personnel are dispatched to the scene. The box is padded and climate controlled to keep the baby warm while still allowing air circulation, and automatically locks once a person leaves the child and shuts the door.

In addition, the box is also equipped with motion sensors that trigger a second 911 call after detecting movement inside, she said.

Fire and medical officials would then look the baby over and transport him or her to a local hospital for evaluation. The child is then placed in the custody of Indiana’s Child Protective Services, Kesley said.

She claimed she had received 95 calls, many of the which are from women seeking information about services such as adoption referrals throughout the country, as well as people seeking more information about the boxes themselves.