New York "Safe Haven" Hotline: No emergencies in 10 years
The other day I was contacted by Rick Karlin, a reporter for the Albany (NY) Times Union with the news that the state’s “safe” haven” hotline (not to be confused with the AMT-Children of Hope hotline operated by Tim Jaccard) had cut back its hours of operation. Karlin told me that the so-called hotline had gone down from 24/7 service to 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM and was off weekends and holidays. In fact, it had been operating like this for two years–and nobody noticed. I talked to Rick quite a awhile on the phone and sent him some material about New York’s law. The article came out Friday.. Abandoned Infant Hotline: Call during work hours The story is self-explanatory. I was quoted three times. Not surprisingly, Tim Jaccard and I had basically the same response: this is crazy. Even if I vehemently oppose “safe haven” laws, the question is: What’s the logic in a part time emergency hotline?. The answer is contained in this WTF moment in the article: Since the hotline opened 10 years ago, it has received about 100 calls per year. Also: “No one who was about to abandon a baby has called the hotline since Continue Reading →