by Brandy Seay

Created on: July 08, 2009   Last Updated: July 09, 2009

Safe haven laws? Yes, please. We have all seen the awful reality of women throwing their babies in dumpsters or leaving them in toilets. As a mother, I personally can't imagine. However, if these women knew they had a safe place to leave their baby and these laws saved even one life, then it is worth it. I cannot imagine the feeling that my unborn child was such a burden that I would abandon it. But one of the problems with our society is that sometimes we would rather judge than help. It is not our place to judge these women, it is up to us to help them and protect them. These abandoned babies would be given a chance to survive and thrive and, while I believe the knowledge that they were "abandoned" could be detrimental, the alternatives could be much worse. We, as a society, cannot imagine the horrors of a mother that would make her leave her baby in a dumpster but, at the same token, we would also judge her for choosing abortion.

We can take our dog or cat to the local shelter and leave it with no questions asked, and that is acceptable. Pets that we have had for years, grown bonds with, loved, and they have been our faithful companions; one day we decide we don't want or can't take care of them, and we relinquish our rights without judgment. These pets can go on to a new family and have a happy life again. Don't our human babies deserve the same chance?

There are people who say, "what about adoption?" The problem is that we don't know the "stories" behind these women and EVERYBODY has a story. Maybe she has hidden her pregnancy, maybe there has been no prenatal care, maybe she has no one in her life to help her make choices and, in that moment of panic, she leaves the baby where it lies. Maybe this was a case of incest or rape and she can't face that awful truth either, and hates the baby; we can't judge without knowing their entire stories. The old saying goes "You don't know me until you have walked in my shoes."

Wouldn't it be nice to think that we could save all of the unwanted babies in the world? I believe that this may in fact be possible, but it has to start somewhere at some time. We have to start with one baby at a time, and keep the focus on the "unwanted" baby. We have to put aside our personal feelings and the need to persecute and prosecute every unfit mother, and remember that the real needs are those of the children. So I believe that each and every state should have safe haven laws.

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