A baby was surrendered last week in a Safe Haven Baby Box in Carmel, Indiana, marking the fourth time the particular box has been used in the last 16 months.
The Safe Haven Baby Box organization provides temperature-controlled boxes in places like fire stations and hospitals where a parent can surrender their infant. When a baby is placed inside the box, a silent alarm is triggered and first responders rescue the child within minutes. The child is later placed for adoption. The program, which allows parents to surrender their child anonymously, works in conjunction with the safe haven law of each state. In Indiana, a parent can surrender a child less than 30 days old without prosecution.
“The First Responders from Carmel Fire Station #345 have been absolutely professional and were quick to come to the aid of the newborn. The program has worked exactly as it was meant to work,” said the Safe Haven Baby Box organization.
Carmel Fire Chief David Haboush praised the parent who surrendered the child during a press conference Wednesday morning. “The Carmel Fire Department and our Firefighters are honored to be entrusted with this fourth baby in our Safe Haven Baby Box. We applaud this mother for having the courage and love to surrender her baby into a safe and secure environment,” he said.
Safe Haven Baby Box Founder Monica Kelsey, who herself was abandoned as an infant and now works to prevent infant abandonment, praised the successful surrender. “It is such a joy to have a station that is so enthusiastic about our mission and program. They have warmly and lovingly received three babies previously at this location,” Kelsey said. “We know this baby was loved immeasurably by the birth mother who placed her baby knowing that the infant would be cared for quickly. While we know this isn’t ideal circumstances, we know that this infant will soon be adopted by a family who has anxiously awaited this opportunity.”
This Safe Haven Baby Box success story follows a surrender in Kentucky last month. Last year, the Carmel location received three surrenders in the span of five and a half weeks.
