A newborn baby was surrendered to the Marion General Hospital in Indiana, according to Safe Haven Baby Boxes.
Local news outlet WTHR reported on Friday that the baby was surrendered to the device in June. The child is in the care of the Indiana Department of Child Services, which is working to find an adoptive family for the infant.
“We are grateful this mother trusted our program on one of the hardest days of her life to keep her baby safe,” said Monica Kelsey, Safe Haven Baby Boxes founder. “When communities are prepared for safe surrender, vulnerable members of those communities are protected.”
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 that 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.
READ MORE: Newborn Surrendered to North Texas Safe Haven Baby Box
Safe Haven Baby Boxes launched nine years ago in Indiana and has expanded nationwide with at least 455 locations. More than 80 newborns have been surrendered to baby boxes across the United States, according to the organization. Safe Haven Baby Boxes also says it has assisted with at least 200 additional infant 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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