An infant was surrendered to a Safe Haven Baby Box in Abilene, Texas, marking the second infant surrender to a baby box in the state this month.
Firefighters say the baby boy, who they estimated to be about 60 days old, was surrendered to the baby box at Abilene Fire Station 7 in the 400 block of North Pioneer on January 13, KTXS12 reported. The device’s alert system sounded at around 11:36 a.m. telling first responders the baby was placed inside.
“They were glad, above all, that the baby was healthy and that everything turned out well,” Fire Chief Cande Flores said.
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.
Officials said protocols were followed and the baby boy was evaluated on scene before first responders transported him to a nearby medical center for a more thorough evaluation, according to the report. Firefighters said the baby is in healthy condition and is now receiving care through the Child Protective Services network.
Karen Light, a local resident who helped bring the baby box to Abilene, said the surrender shows the importance of the program.
“Oh, I think it’s awesome. I think it’s wonderful. I think it’s the hand of God at work,” Light said. “It’s going to be a wonderful future for this baby.”
“One child makes it totally worth it,” she added.
The surrender is only the second known use of a Safe Haven Baby Box in Texas. The first surrender occurred this month to a baby box in Lubbock.
Texas has a Safe Haven law that allows for the legal surrender of an unharmed newborn up to 60 days after birth to hospitals, fire stations, EMS providers, and baby boxes, according to the Safe Haven Baby Boxes organization.
The organization launched nine years ago in Indiana and has expanded nationwide with at least 400 locations. At least 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 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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