Are "safe haven" laws protecting the abandonment of children at hospitals and fire stations in society's best interest?

by Holly Lockhart

Created on: July 11, 2009   Last Updated: July 16, 2009

I myself am an adoptee and I can see both sides of this. I agree that it is better to relinquish your child in a safe place, such as a hospital, police or fire station, but I do not feel that these laws are very good or effective. I do not believe that they are in the child's best interest at all.

For one thing, pregnant women are still going out and having abortions, the number may have reduced, but abortion is still a very real thing. Also, the women that do carry the child to full term and then give birth, some still leave the child in unsafe, unsanitary places. I feel that these young mothers should be taken in by a homeless shelter, like a home for unwed mothers and be given proper pre-natal care and these children deserve the records to be taken, so that in the future they may be given access to important medical information.

As I said earlier, I am an adoptee, I was diagnosed with leukemia as a small child, I am now 26 years old and am trying to have my records open to get important medical information, because I would like to start a family of my own, but first I need to know what other illnesses that I might pass on to my children. I am also looking for my birth family, but so far have came up empty handed. It is tough to feel like you really do not belong any where. It is also tough to think that your biological parents are most likely out there somewhere and they probably now have other children that they kept in their care.

You constantly sit and thing what did I do that they gave me up? Why was I not wanted? Why could they not love me? The child will eventually become an adult and will want and need at the very least medical information.... If the birth mother is not required to give this information or at least a name or something, so that she can be found and asked about these important things in the future, the child may never have the final pieces of this puzzle. I have received my non identifying information from the stat where my adoption was handled and I know that my birth mother and her family at least did give some information and there is a paper trail, it is just going to be a lot of red tape to get the records opened, but one day I will have my answers. So far she did not name the birth father, so I have no information about him, which I guess is kind of sad, because one whole side of my DNA will be missing, but I know somewhere some information exists about my birth family.

Most of these "safe haven" babies will have no information other than the story of where and how they were found, If that even is revealed. I believe this is an injustice for these children to grow up not knowing where they come from and to not have access to important medical and other information that could affect the rest of their lives and the lives of their future children. These " save haven" laws appall and offend me. There is no safe haven! It's all relative to the view point.

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