On Tuesday, April 22, a newborn was found dead in a dumpster in Albuquerque, New Mexico. KOB 4 News reported that in roughly three years, this is the fourth case in which a baby was similarly abandoned, resulting in the deaths of three of the infants.
According to local station KOAT 7, there are currently no Safe Haven Baby Box (SHBB) locations in Albuquerque. However, every state has a Safe Haven/Baby Moses law allowing for the safe surrender of an infant to designated personnel. In New Mexico, parents may surrender an infant within 90 days of the child’s birth to personnel at hospitals, fire departments, and police departments.
A safe, anonymous option
Currently, there are just 10 baby boxes in New Mexico.
Bernalillo County Fire Public Information Officer William Harris told KOAT, “As a firefighter and a new-time father, that breaks my heart. To know that this is a preventable thing that could be prevented. It really tugs on my heartstrings and it’s very sad for, not just for public service, but for the community in general.”
Recognizing the lack of anonymity currently available for distressed parents at current Safe Haven locations in New Mexico, Harris further stated that plans are underway to install baby boxes in the area.
In a statement to KOAT, Albuquerque Fire Rescue Chief Emily Jaramillo wrote, “As part of the new Fire Station 12 near Juan Tabo and Central, AFR is working to include Albuquerque’s first Safe Haven Baby Box. Scheduled for completion by late 2025, the station will feature this secure, climate-controlled incubator designed for the anonymous surrender of newborns in crisis, an extension of Safe Haven laws.”
Chief Jaramillo further stated, “Installing a Safe Haven Baby Box at our new Fire Station 12 ensures that no newborn is left in an unsafe situation, offering a safe, anonymous option for parents in crisis. As a mother, I understand that using this box likely comes during an overwhelming and heartbreaking moment.”
Anti-life policies are prioritized
Live Action News previously reported on the concerted effort by groups and individuals across the country working to destroy Safe Haven Laws and life-saving Safe Haven Baby Boxes with success including in New Mexico. In a statement condemning NM legislators who blocked the expansion of SHBB laws, Executive Director of the New Mexico Alliance for Life Eliza Martinez stated:
We are hearing of newborns abandoned in the trash every year in New Mexico — yet the Democrat majority in our legislature refuses to pass a law expanding access to Safe Haven Baby Boxes statewide.
We are dealing with a death cult in the New Mexico legislature that has no value for life before or after birth. The same legislators that support abortion up-to-birth for any reason in New Mexico are also responsible for blocking the Safe Haven Baby Box bill.
How many innocent babies must die alone in a trashcan before they act?
On March 19, the New Mexico House Judiciary Committee heard testimony on bipartisan House Bill (HB) 594, sponsored by Representatives Gail Armstrong (R) and Joseph Sanchez (D). The bill aimed to expand legal protections for mothers who use infant safety devices (baby boxes). HB 594 is one of three bills filed regarding SHBB during the 2025 NM Regular Session.
During the hearing, several legislators and activists opposing the SHBB legislation cited concerns about what they described as a lack of data or empirical studies on the effectiveness of the baby boxes. Similar arguments were raised in the Connecticut state legislature, where supporters of a bill that would have allowed a hospital to install a baby box described the manufactured arguments of those against the life-saving boxes as ‘elitist,’ as reported by Live Action News.
READ: The anti-life ‘elitists’ fighting to destroy safe haven laws and baby boxes
Republican State Senator David Gallegos has also fought long and hard in an attempt to pass legislation to install more baby boxes. “We just want to be able to give the mom the option without fear of retaliation,” he said.
Despite Gov. Grisham’s promises to prioritize SHBB legislation, none of these bills have made it across the finish line; however, bills expanding and protecting abortion on the taxpayers’ dime receive priority even as efforts to reinstate conscience protections for medical providers stalled.
Renewing the call for state legislators to swiftly expand Safe Haven laws and protections for helpless newborns, New Mexico Alliance for Life stated, “Despite these repeated tragedies, efforts to expand access to Safe Haven Baby Boxes… have stalled in the New Mexico legislature for five consecutive years… [T]he Democrat-majority legislature has repeatedly blocked its passage.”
The pro-life group called SHBB “a compassionate and safe alternative for desperate parents, allowing them to anonymously surrender their infants at designated locations, such as fire stations.”
