By Mike Cason
al.com
JASPER, Ala. — Alabama’s newest Safe Haven Baby Box is now in place in Jasper, state Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Reed announced Wednesday.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes are designed to allow the safe surrender of an infant, anonymously and with no questions asked. The idea is to provide a life-saving alternative for a desperate parent who might otherwise abandon an infant in an unsafe place.
The new Safe Haven box in Jasper is at Fire Station No. 1 on 18th Street East.
“Alabama is a place that firmly believes in the sanctity and preciousness of life,” Reed, a Republican from Jasper, said in a news release. “We have fostered a culture of life with the foundational ideal that all children are gifts from God that deserve love and protection, and I am so thankful this new baby box will provide a safe and compassionate option for parents facing the difficult decision to surrender a child. In Alabama , every life matters, and I want to thank everyone who made this wonderful day a reality for our community and state.”
The first Safe Haven Baby Box in Alabama was installed in Madison in January, followed by a box in Prattville. The others are in Dothan, Gadsden, Ozark, and Tuscaloosa.
As of May 20 , three infants had been left at the Safe Haven Baby Box in Madison.
Nationally, there are 251 Safe Haven Baby Boxes. The boxes were developed by Monica Kelsey of Woodburn, Indiana, a retired firefighter and medic who was abandoned as an infant.
The boxes, installed in the exterior walls of fire stations, open from the outside. Inside the climate-controlled box is a bassinet. When closed, the box locks from the outside and sounds an alarm to alert firefighters that an infant has been placed there.
The Alabama Legislature passed a bill last year by Rep. Donna Givens, R- Loxley, to authorize the use of the boxes in Alabama, expanding a law passed in 2000 that allowed the surrender of infants at hospitals.
The Kids to Love Foundation, based in Madison, helped promote the passage of the bill and raised funds for some of the first boxes.
“I am beyond grateful to have this life-saving device available in our community,” Rep. Matt Woods, R-Jasper, said in the news release.
“I was happy to join Senator Reed in supporting the grant application that helped make this project a reality. I also want to extend my sincere thanks to the City of Jasper, Jasper Fire and Rescue, and Chase and Jordanna Gunter for bringing this project forward.”
Since 2017, 50 infants have been safely and legally surrendered in a Baby Box, and the National Safe Haven Crisis line has assisted with over 150 handoff surrenders, according to the news release from Reed’s office.
The idea of setting up secure boxes for parents to abandon infants has critics, including those who believe it is a gimmick that fails to address the need for better access to prenatal and postnatal care and mental health services for pregnant women.
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