Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed a bill on Tuesday that allows devices in the state designed to prevent infant abandonment.
HB 350, also named the Eliza Jane Warner act after a newborn who was fatally abandoned on the side of the road in Troup County in 2019, expands the state’s Safe Haven law to allow newborn safety devices at fire stations, police stations, hospitals and ambulance services.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes were created to deter parents from abandoning their newborns, potentially leaving them to die. Baby boxes are temperature-controlled incubators often built into exterior walls of fire stations, police stations, and hospitals, and can be accessed from inside. At-risk mothers can safely and legally place their newborns inside. Then, the outside door locks, and mothers have time to get away before an alarm goes off, alerting first responders or hospital staff inside.
The baby is then quickly removed and sent to a hospital for a wellness check. From there, the baby is usually placed into state custody and often quickly adopted. Safe Haven Baby Boxes are usually community-funded and are legalized by legislation that expands existing Safe Haven laws, which every state has.
In addition to allowing the devices, the new law also expands the surrender window from 30 days after birth to 45 days after birth.
“It FINALLY happened!!! This morning, shortly after 11am, Governor Kemp signed HB350, The Eliza Jane Warner Act. Parents in crisis will now have 45 days to safely, legally and anonymously surrender an infant,” Bringing Newborn Safety Devices to Georgia said in a post to Facebook. “There are so many to individually thank, but in this moment, thank you to every single person who supported this effort in any way. For every prayer, kind word, phone call, email… we appreciate them all! Together we have made a difference!!!”
State Representative Mike Cameron (R–Rossville), who sponsored the bill, applauded Kemp for signing the bill into law.
“This legislation strengthens the safety net for Georgia’s most vulnerable lives and ensures that emergency responders and medical professionals are better equipped to safely and quickly respond in critical situations involving newborns,” Cameron said in a statement.
“By authorizing the placement of newborn safety devices at fire stations, police stations, hospitals, and ambulance services, and permitting those facilities to accept physical custody of a newborn in certain emergency situations, we are providing families and first responders with a clearer, safer path in moments of crisis. I want to thank Governor Kemp for signing this important legislation into law, as well as my legislative colleagues for their support in advancing the measure to the governor’s desk,” he continued.
The Georgia House and Senate overwhelmingly passed the bill in early April, now joining two dozen other states in allowing the devices as an option for the safe and legal surrender of newborns.
Eliza Jane’s grandmother gave an emotional testimony in favor of the bill during a hearing on the legislation before it passed, shaping lawmakers’ decision to name the section of the code in the newborn’s honor.
“We might not have been able to save Eliza Jane, we don’t know, but there are other Eliza Janes out there that we can save if we put these safety devices in place,” Cameron said at the time.
The Safe Haven Baby Boxes organization launched nine years ago in Indiana and has expanded nationwide with at least 425 locations. More than 70 newborns have been surrendered to baby boxes across the United States, according to the organization. Safe Haven Baby Boxes also says it has assisted at least 150 people with safe surrenders to other safe haven locations.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes has a confidential National Safe Haven Hotline, 1-866-99BABY1, that provides free counseling and information about safe surrenders, including face-to-face surrenders.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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