Arkansas dedicates $250,000 to creation of Safe Haven Baby Boxes
The lives of more babies are likely to be saved, thanks to a new grant program announced by the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, which said it will give $250,000 to organizations to implement Safe Haven Baby Boxes.
KNOE CBS reported that the grant will provide funding to eligible organizations — such as city and county hospitals with emergency rooms, law enforcement agencies, and fire departments — to help cover the costs of installing a Safe Haven Baby Box. Every state has its own version of a safe haven law that aims to protect newborn children from abandonment or murder. Arkansas’ law allows a child 30 days old or younger to be given to a medical provider, law enforcement agency, fire department, or medical provider staff member, no questions asked. These newborns can also be left in the Safe Haven Baby Box, which triggers an alarm for a designated person at the organization, letting them know a baby has been placed in the box.
“My administration is committed to supporting mothers and babies, especially in their most vulnerable moments,” said Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.“This grant program will provide resources and give struggling new moms safe options that help build a culture of life in Arkansas. I applaud local communities who are investing in this program and partnering with the state.”
Applications for grant money will be accepted beginning in September and will remain open on an ongoing basis with no deadline in place.
“This grant program is one more way Governor Sanders is ensuring the health and safety of Arkansas’ youngest and most vulnerable citizens,” said DFA Secretary Jim Hudson. “We encourage eligible organizations across the state to consider pursuing this funding. The Safe Haven program saves lives, and we are proud to support it.”
Safe Haven Baby Boxes also has a 24-hour hotline where women can receive counseling and assistance free of charge. That hotline has received over 9,000 calls from every state. Safe Haven Baby Boxes has also referred over 500 women to pro-life pregnancy centers and had over 150 Safe Haven surrenders.
The National Safe Haven Alliance, another nonprofit dedicated to infant abandonment prevention, estimates that since 1999 at least 4,500 babies have been saved thanks to state safe haven laws.
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