Tag Archives: Nebraska; safe haven

Nebraska media reports this morning that a 12-year old boy was dropped off at Bryan LGH Medical Center East in Lincoln The boy’s mother told police she was “unable to discipline him.” So what else is new? Well, this kid is from Georgia! According to Nebraska HHS spokesperson Todd Landry the mother, who so far has no known connection to Nebraska, drove the boy there from Atlanta. He has been placed in a residential shelter pending investigation. No other details have been released yet. In case you’re wondering how much these dumps cost (remember, according to dump pushers, dumping your child is a free service of the state and won’t cost anybody a dime), Omaha’s WOW-TV reported earlier this month: So what is the law costing taxpayers? In a crude analysis of a 2007 Annual Report from The Nebraska Foster Care Review Board, Channel Six found on average, Nebraska spends about $2,200 a month per child in foster care. When you add the 17 Safe Haven Children and multiply that number by $2,200 the amount per month to provide care for those children so far is costing nearly $39,000 per month. It’s half the cost of a special session. (NOTE: Continue Reading →

This just in. The Detroit News reports that early this morning a 13-year old boy from Michigan was abandoned at a Nebraska hospital. The boy and his parent flew to Omaha for the drop-off. No details have been released other than the boy has been placed in an emergency shelter. In the meantime, Arnie Struthman the sponsor of the state’s safe haven law says he opposes the call for a special session of the legislature to revisit the law. According to him, Boys Town and the Untied Way can address issues so parents don’t have to abandon children. Later today I will post on this entry an updated list of dumpees, attempted dumpees, and any updates on this breaking story.

Just when we thought it can’t get any worse, it does! This just in from the Associated Press: 14-year old Iowa girl abandoned under Nebraska law.” Yes, folks, that’s right. Now, they’re hauling their unwanted kids in from out-of-state. According to the wire, the unfortunate girl is from Council Bluffs,Iowa, just across the state line from Omaha. She was abandoned–oh, excuse me–“safe havened”–at Creighton University Medical Center (where the 9 Statons were dumped last month) by her mother. No details have been released yet, but Nebraska DFS spokesperson Todd Landry says Nebraska law may not apply, since the girl and her mother are from out-of-state. But why wouldn’t it apply? There is nothing in the law that says no outsiders need apply. Again, for late comers, here is the ENTIRE text of the law: Section 1. No person shall be prosecuted for any crime based solely upon the act of leaving a child in the custody of an employee on duty at a hospital licensed by the State of Nebraska. The hospital shall promptly contact appropriate authorities to take custody of the child. Parents are home free. No blame. No shame, No name. Oops! Scratch that last one! All of Continue Reading →

More Nebraska Fiasco: KOLN/KGIN-TV reports that a 34 year woman attempted to dump her 15-year old daughter at Bryan LGH West yesterday morning, under the state’s safe haven law. Hospital officials talked her out of it, and admitted the teenager to the hospital’s child psychiatric service. According to the mother, the girl was a runaway. The mother says she’d begun paperwork to make her daughter a ward of the state, “but it took too long.” Let’s hope this woman never has to fill out an insurance claim or buy a house! How much worse does this have to get before the legislature, stops husking corn, and repeals this travesty? No, the law doesn’t need tweaked or tightened-up or any other quaint-worded fix politicians want to throw about. The mass dumping of Nebraska’s children is the perfect consequence of what we have been saying would happen for the last nine years. Who’s Next: Spouses? Grandparents? How many families need to be destroyed before people wake up to the atrocity of “safe havens”? I’ll be writing much more about this, but I’m heading for downtown in a few minutes and wanted to get this breaking news up. REPEAL BABY DUMP LAWS NOW! Continue Reading →

Nebraska media reports that two 12-year old boys were dropped off at hospitals in Lincoln and Omaha over the weekend. Police in Lincoln say a 51-year old woman dumped off her grandson at Brian LGH West Sunday evening, saying she “could no longer take care of him.” She regained custody of the boy last month. Lincoln police chief Tom Casady, appears to be one of the few sane “official” voices in the face of the state-sanctioned and encouraged child abandonment epidemic: It provides an opportunity to drop the child off without any kind of negative consequence and I think there are plenty of people who will take advantage of that I’m rather surprised that the Legislatures [sic] didn’t see this coming because I can assure you that everyone at the police department saw it coming. Casady believes more kids are on the way. Another 12-year old boy was left at the lead dump site, Immanuel Medical Center in Omaha, but no details have been released. Here’s the revised dumpee roster: September 1: Male 14–left by mother at Omaha police station. Currently in foster care. September 13: Male 11–left by grandmother–another report says mother–at Immanuel Medical Center, Omaha; currently in foster Continue Reading →

NOTE: I am at, of all appropriate places, the annual NCFA conference in Washington. I’ve bailed out of the last 2 sessions to get something up about the Nebraska kid dump fiasco. I’m checking of the hotel later today, and will be back with more, and to add/fix some links and don’t have time to add right now. To date 14 children have been dumped into hospitals and police stations (not a legal dump spot) under Nebraska’s “safe haven” law.” None are newborns, the targeted “beneficiary” of such laws.The kids left in Nebraska “safe havens” have mostly been teenagers. On Wednesday, a father left off 9 siblings at the Creighton University Medical Center ER. Here is a brief run-down.BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COMESeptember 1: Boy 14 (left by Omaha police station) September 13: Boy 11 ( left by grandmother (another report says mother) at Immanuel Medical Center, Omaha); Boy 15 (left by guardian aunt at Bryant Medical Center West, Lincoln) September 20: Girl, 13 left by mother at Immanuel Medical Center Omaha) September 24: 9 siblings, 1-17 (left by father at Creighton University Medical Center ER) WHAT DID THEY EXPECT?But…but….that’s not what we meant! Backpedaling Cornhusker politicians seem to Continue Reading →