Two years after it was put up in Florida, a “Safe Haven box” has been used for the first time to drop off a newborn.
The Safe Haven program was started in 2017, and it is a way for parents to give up their babies safely and anonymously if they can’t care for them. This is to keep the babies from being left outside or in a dangerous place.
According to a source, there are 134 Safe Haven boxes all over the US, and 23 people have used them since the program started.
Two years after it was put up at an Ocala fire station, Florida has one of these boxes. It was used for the first time over the Christmas holiday.
When Monica Kelsey, the founder, and CEO of Save Haven, talked to NPR, she said:
When we launched this box in Florida, I knew it wasn’t going to be an if – it was going to be a matter of when. This does not come as a surprise.
Kelsey also talked to WESH and told them:
We know this baby will be so loved by an adoptive family. we are so thrilled to be a part of protecting infants from abandonment.
First newborn surrendered to Florida Safe Haven Baby Box https://t.co/C2UCinFZro pic.twitter.com/tjx8B4SOnC
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) January 5, 2023
The mayor of Ocala, Kent Guinn, was happy to hear that the plan worked. He said that he was glad that the parent could safely hand over the child and that the baby will have a “bright future.”
People said that the boxes cost $10,000 to put in and then cost $200 a month to rent. Each box has its own temperature and airflow, and when the metal door is shut, it locks.
60 seconds after the door closes, the authorities are told that the baby is there, so they can come to get it. This gives the parent time to get away from the situation. The box can’t be opened again from the outside. The baby can only be retrieved from inside the building, where the box is.
A healthy baby was anonymously surrendered to a Safe Haven Baby Box at Ocala Fire Rescue Station #1. This is the first surrender in Florida and 23rd nationwide. OFR Station #1 is the only baby box location in Florida. pic.twitter.com/KHThzP880E
— Kristin Chase (@kristinchasetv) January 5, 2023
Critics have also spoken out against the boxes. The New York Times wrote that the scheme was “cruel” and that it was set up to stop pregnant women from getting abortions. It also said that the scheme was “blind to the damage done to a woman who was forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy.”
No matter what, we wish the baby in Florida a good life.
