A baby has been surrendered to a Safe Haven Baby Box in Covington County, Mississippi, the organization confirmed on Monday.
The surrender at the Covington County Hospital is the second at that location since it opened in May 2024, WDAM7 reported. Safe Haven Baby Boxes did not confirm a day and time of a surrender in order to preserve anonymity for the child and surrounding circumstances, according to the report.
“We have seen this location be a vital resource for this community now twice,” Safe Haven Baby Boxes founder Monica Kelsey said. “It is proof that preparation and anonymity are key to safe surrender. When a mother surrenders, she is choosing an anonymous closed adoption out of sacrificial love for her infant, and we are proud of her. This infant will soon be with a family who has been eager to adopt.”
Baby boxes are temperature-controlled incubators often built into exterior walls of fire stations, police stations, and hospitals that can be accessed from inside. At-risk mothers can safely and legally place their newborns inside. Once the baby is inside the baby box the outside door locks and the mother has time to leave before an alarm goes off alerting first responders or hospital staff to the child’s presence.
The baby is then quickly removed and sent to a hospital for a wellness check. From there, the infant is usually placed into state custody and is often adopted quickly.
There were 15 babies surrendered anonymously through the baby box program in 2024, according to the report. There are more than 300 baby box locations across the United States.
Mississippi law allows the surrender of unharmed infants up to 45 days after birth to baby boxes, EMS providers, hospitals, fire stations, and licensed adoption agencies, according to the organization’s website.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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