Sugar Creek Township (New Palestine) Fire Chief Brandon Kleine talks about a new Baby Box during the dedication ceremony at a fire station in February. Baby boxes such as these, where newborn babies may be safely relinquished without prosecution, are available in North Vernon, Seymour, Franklin and other locations around the state.
The National Safe Haven Alliance, which works to promote baby box laws and other initiatives in Indiana and across the country, is celebrating April as Safe Haven Awareness Month. The alliance supports mothers facing crisis pregnancies and post-birth situations with life-saving alternatives and solutions to prevent infanticide and newborn abandonment.
In many of these situations, a mother is considering surrendering her infant due to lack of family support and other challenges. The goal of the alliance is to help mothers meet their needs, whether supporting her choice to parent, a need for temporary placement, adoption assistance, or safe haven relinquishment.
The alliance’s Crisis Response Team and 24/7 confidential hotline — 1-888-510-BABY (2229) — provides these safe options in crisis situations. More information about the alliance is available at nationalsafehavenalliance.org.
“Spreading the awareness of this life saving alternative is so very necessary to make sure that anyone in this crisis needing help will know that they have a confidential source of support with total anonymity and with no fear of prosecution,” said NSHA Indiana Representative Sherry Foushee.
“Please help us celebrate the 4,741 newborns’ lives saved in the last 20 plus years,” Foushee said. “… We at the National Safe Haven Alliance are committed to continue this life saving mission until there is no need.”
