'Healthy' baby safely surrendered in Ohio Safe Haven Baby Box

The safe surrender of a baby in a Safe Haven Baby Box is making headlines in Ohio. The baby, who was surrendered months ago, is said to be doing well.

Key Takeaways:

• A baby was safely surrendered months ago at a baby box at an Ohio fire station.

• The baby is said to be healthy and while specific information has not been shared, adoptive homes have reportedly been found for the babies saved through this program in every instance.

• Safe Haven Baby Boxes, founded by Monica Kelsey who was herself abandoned at birth, has helped save hundreds of babies from abandonment.

The Details:

The baby, whose story has been kept private, was surrendered at a baby box at the Union Township Fire State. Fire Chief Austin Clements told Local 12 News that firefighters followed protocol, ensuring the baby's safety. They handed the case over to the Department of Family Services.

"The circumstances surrounding the surrender at Union Township — we needed to keep this as quiet as possible," said Monica Kelsey, former abandoned baby and founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes. She added that every baby who has been saved through the program has been adopted.

Chief Clements shared that the baby is healthy and said he is grateful to have the baby box resource available for parents who feel unable to care for their child.

According to Local 12, news of this infant surrender came as a new baby box is set to be unveiled this week in Hamilton, Ohio.

The Bottom Line:

Every year, infants are illegally and dangerously abandoned in the U.S., sometimes not surviving the ordeal. Safe Have Baby Boxes allow parents to safely surrender their babies anonymously and without fear of prosecution, helping to save the lives of hundreds of babies. In addition, the organization's hotline has received over 9,000 calls from parents seeking help and has referred hundreds of women to pregnancy resource centers.

The first baby box was installed in the state of Indiana in 2016, and since then, "there has not been a single dead abandoned infant in the state," according to Safe Haven Baby Boxes.