To give young mothers an option and avoid senseless tragedy, all states have so-called “safe haven” laws. The laws allow for a newborn’s safe, legal surrender up to a certain age. The issue, however, has been anonymity. Many women are simply too embarrassed or afraid to drop their unwanted newborns off in person.
To remedy that, more than 100 Safe Haven baby boxes have been installed at fire stations in various states. The boxes are climate controlled, secure, and monitored at regular intervals for occupancy.
Just recently, the city of Knoxville got the first safe haven box in Tennessee and has already had one newborn dropped off. It is sad that a young woman felt like she had no other choice, but the boxes ensure the child’s safety and wellbeing.
Recently, the first baby found in Florida’s first Safe Haven box found a permanent home. The adoptive parents are a very special couple. In fact, the father is the firefighter that discovered her. Finders keepers?
The firefighter opened the box on January 5th and discovered a newborn baby girl. She was so fresh, she had a shoelace tied around her umbilical cord. The Ocala firefighter then rushed the baby girl to the hospital for care.
The firefighter and his wife reportedly had been trying unsuccessfully for years to have their own child. He and his wife decided that they would like to adopt the young baby girl, and two days later, they took her home.
The couple’s identity has been kept secret for safety reasons, but the adoptive mother had a sweet message for the birth mother: “We really felt in our hearts that we wanted, to let the birth mom know in some way shape or form that she is safe, she is happy, and she is very loved. I think that it’s very respectable what she did.”
That is a very important message, and one the birth mother hopefully received. Too many children are raised by abusive parents or parents simply too young to provide the necessary care. There need to be safe, anonymous options for struggling young women.
Obviously, we all want to see far fewer abortions, and the Safe Haven boxes provide alternatives for young women who can’t raise a baby but also don’t want to terminate the pregnancy.
The Ocala Fire and Rescue became the first in the state to install the Safe Haven box, and upon learning about the young girl since named Zoey, Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn said this: “I’m so happy to hear of this miracle baby. I’m sure there will be a bright future ahead for this precious child.”
Happy endings are too few and far between these days, but thanks to the Ocala Fire and Rescue, the firefighter and his wife, and the courage of the birth mother to do the right thing and give Zoey a chance for a good life, this story will have a happy ending.
Hopefully, Zoey will grow up happy and well taken care of, and other women considering giving up their babies will take note and do the right thing for the child.
Featured image screen grab from embedded YouTube video
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