Safe Haven Baby Boxes bagged–or should I say boxed– its 10th Indiana newborn a few days ago. No details have been released. The only way we know about this is that SHBB founder Monica Kelsey posted a tease on her Facebook page, and then discussed the event briefly on her Tuesday evening FB chat.
Most anonymous baby boxings get a lot of publicity, but due to “circumstances surrounding” the “relinquishment” a wall of silence has fallen around this case. No date, no location. SHBB stans are thrilled. How will Baby Bumble feel in a few years? Probably not so much.
This is how it all starts.
When we began opposing safe haven laws more than 20 years ago, people said, “Oh don’t worry about it. It will hardly be used.” According to the National Safe Haven Alliance’s latest published statistics, “4,124+” babies have been “surrendered” anonymously under state Safe Haven laws. I seriously doubt that baby boxes will catch popularity like safe haven “choices,” but the dump door is open and babies are getting dropped in.
Other SHBB cases: Nine newborns have been left in Safe Haven Baby Boxes since November 2017. Eight in Indiana, (two at the Cool Springs Fire Station in Michigan City, and one each in Hammond, Crown Point, Seymour, New Haven, Decatur Township, and another at an unknown location.) One newborn has been dropped into the Benton, Arkansas box. One of the Indiana babies is now in an open adoption.
I could write more about this tonight, but I got a very late start in writing and I’m too tired to elaborate. But I will later when this Hell Month called NAAM is over.