A three-day-old girl was recently left at a fire station in Waco, Texas. Under the Safe Haven, or “Baby Moses,” law, a mother has 60 days to take her newborn to a safe haven location and drop them off, with no questions or possibility of prosecution. The mother stated that she didn’t know she was pregnant and gave birth to the baby at home. She said she had other children at home and could not provide the proper care the baby needed.
The newborn is now in foster care and the Department of Children’s Services has custody and is monitoring her case. At this time, the future of the newborn is unknown. The Department of Children Services will create a permanency plan. This could include the foster parents, another family to adopt her, or possibly reunification with her biological mother.
Many people have written in support of the mother’s decision to hand the baby over under the Safe Haven law. One person stated, “A good mother puts her child’s well-being first and she obviously made this sacrifice with the child’s best interest in mind and the hope of a better life for that baby.” Another person wrote, “I respect this mother implicitly and completely! This mom just gave a beautiful baby a chance at a beautiful life! I hope her life abounds in blessings for her and her remaining children!”
There are mixed feelings concerning this law, but I strongly support the Safe Haven law. It gives mothers a choice other than abortion, abandoning the baby somewhere that the baby could be harmed or even die, or keeping the baby knowing they cannot provide the proper care. I found it encouraging that according to the Department of Children Services records in Texas, this was the 12th baby that has been surrendered since September 2016. It is important that people are aware of this law and that mothers are strong and selfless enough to use it when necessary to benefit their newborn children.
