Connecticut officials celebrate two safe haven surrenders

Connecticut leaders are celebrating after two infants were safely surrendered recently via the state's safe haven surrender laws. Safe haven laws enable a mother and/or father who feel unable to care for their newborn to safely surrender that child to the state; the baby is later placed for adoption.

Key Takeaways:

• Connecticut officials announced two infants were surrendered under the state's Safe Havens law in April.

• The law allows a parent to surrender an infant they feel unable to care for to a hospital, as long as the child is less than 31 days old.

• Safe haven laws exist to help curtail infant abandonments or deaths, giving parents another option when they feel overwhelmed.

The Details:

The CT Mirror reports that two infants were relinquished in the state in April, according to the Department of Children and Families. One of the newborns was surrendered at Yale New Haven Hospital, while the other was surrendered at Connecticut Children’s at the University of Connecticut Health Center.

Those surrenders were celebrated at a press conference on Thursday, which highlighted that the latest surrender marks the 60th time in 25 years that an infant has been surrendered via the state's Safe Havens law. The law allows a parent to voluntarily give up custody of an infant age 30 days or younger to the nursing staff of an emergency room, without any legal ramifications.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz noted the "incredible impact" that the "lifesaving" safe haven law has.

“Those women who find themselves in a situation where they deliver a baby and they cannot or they do not want to raise that baby, they may feel incredibly isolated and challenged and judged, and they may feel they have nowhere to turn,” Bysiewicz said.

State Rep. Trenee McGee lauded the courage of a parent who surrenders her baby.

"When I think of a woman who decides to put her baby in a better situation, the one word that comes to mind is courage," she said. "When I think of someone who says, 'I may not be able to give this baby all that they need, however they deserve that,' I think of the word courage. When I think of a family who adopts a safe haven baby, I think of the word courage."

The Big Picture:

Every state in the nation has a Safe Haven surrender law, with varying parameters under which an infant may be surrendered. The laws exist to help curtail infant abandonments or deaths, which still happen far too frequently. Greater awareness is also necessary to ensure that every pregnant mother knows that a Safe Haven surrender is an option.

According to news reports, Connecticut had just one infant surrender last year, making two in April all the more cause for celebration.

Though the ideal is for a child to remain with his or her birth parents, that isn't always possible — and Safe Haven laws exist to ensure that babies are placed with loving families that can care for them.