Tragic Discovery of Deceased Newborn in Northwest Houston Highlights Urgent Need for Safe Haven Awareness
In the light of the recent heartbreaking discovery of a deceased newborn baby in the Chimney Hill subdivision of Northwest Houston, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services is urging those who find themselves unable to take care of their newborns to remember the Safe Haven law or the Baby Moses law.
The Safe Haven law, a trailblazing legislation in Texas, has been designed to provide desperate parents with a safe and legal solution to leave their newborns at designated locations such as hospitals, fire stations, emergency medical services (EMS) station, or free-standing emergency centers with no questions asked. Once left at these safe places, the babies are given the necessary medical care and placed with emergency providers.
The Baby Moses Project was established in response to the upsetting rise of newborns being abandoned in dangerous places. The project aims to publicize a confidential and safe alternative to newborn abandonment, committed to providing a sanctuary for these vulnerable young lives. Numerous lives have been saved through this project, thanks to the assistance of compassionate individuals. Sucessfully implemented, this crucial initiative has achieved national recognition for addressing this tragic problem.
Too often, women dealing with unplanned pregnancies do not reach out for the support that is available, due to a host of reasons ranging from shame, fear, and confusion to desperation and sometimes, even selfishness. In an attempt to keep the pregnancy a secret, some women carry their babies to term, give birth in isolation, and then abandon their newborns in remote places, hoping never to be discovered.
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In 1999, State Representative Geanie W. Morrison, R-Victoria, passed the country's first Baby Moses law to tackle this heart-wrenching issue. Shortly after, all 50 states followed suit by implementing similar laws. The Baby Moses law was designed as a two-fold solution: it aims to prevent newborns from being abandoned in hazardous places and also protects mothers from possible harmful situations.
Critics argue that such laws promote irresponsibility or compromise the child's access to their biological family's medical history. Supporters, however, point out that, in many cases, the alternative - irresponsible parenthood leading to the abandonment of a newborn in perilous situations - is much worse.
For parents considering leaving their baby at a Safe Haven, the law stipulates that the baby must be 60 days old or younger and unharmed. They can be taken to any hospital, fire station, or EMS station in Texas and should be handed over to an employee, explicitly stating the parent's desire to leave the baby at a Safe Haven. While the employee may ask for family or medical history, parents are assured that they will not face prosecution for abandonment or neglect if they leave their unharmed infant at a Safe Haven.
This effort underscores the importance of community support, compassionate understanding, and lawful alternatives in addressing often stigmatized social issues such as unplanned pregnancies and newborn abandonment. For more information, parents and caregivers can visit the Texas Department of Family and protective Services website at dfps.texas.gov/default.asp or call the Texas Baby Moses Hotline at 1-877-904-SAVE (1-877-904-7283).
Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
