Baby Safe Haven law gets vote of support By Christian Schiavone/Daily News correspondent
Thursday, March 22, 2007 - Updated: 12:01 AM EDT
The Baby Safe Haven law, set to expire next year, got a vote of support from a legislative committee yesterday.
The Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities voted unanimously in favor of continuing the law, which allows parents to surrender unwanted newborns to designated authorities.
In a packed hearing room in the State House basement, the committee heard testimony from legislators and advocacy groups, all in favor of lifting the sunset clause that would have the law expire in June 2008.
"The program is working," said state Sen. Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, co-chairwoman of the committee and lead sponsor of one of the bills that were combined by the committee. "It's vital to keep the doors open to people who want to surrender their children safely."
The law, enacted in 2004, protects parents from prosecution if they surrender unwanted newborn children up to 7 days old to hospital emergency rooms, police stations and manned fire stations.
Since the law was enacted, five newborns have been surrendered safely around the state. Two other babies were abandoned, including a baby boy who was found dead in a Milford garbage truck in January, though police say the parents have said the baby was stillborn. The other newborn was abandoned in Boston and survived.
Michael Morrisey, who co-founded Baby Safe Haven New England with his wife, Jean, said in the four years before the law went into effect, 13 newborns were abandoned, six of whom died of exposure or abuse by the parents.
The organization pushed for the state's original safe haven law and pushes for stronger safe haven laws throughout the region.
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