Indiana became the first state in the U.S. to install "baby boxes" under the umbrella of "Safe Haven" laws where mothers can surrender their babies to government without revealing their identities.
Safe haven laws or "Baby Moses" laws allow abandonment of babies at places sanctioned by government, and are implemented all around the country. Parents are not questioned about their decision to part with their babies at the safe haven locations, which are set up at fire stations, hospitals, and police stations. However, many parents avoid the safe haven locations for fear of disclosing their identities.
In September last year, a baby was found wrapped in several layers of coats outside a church in Indiana near a Safe Haven location.
To prevent parents from abandoning their babies outside on the streets, two "Safe Haven Baby Boxes" were opened late last month in collaboration with faith-based and pro-life groups at Indiana fire stations.
The "baby boxes" are climate-controlled and allow air circulation. The doors are automatically locked once the door is shut after putting the baby inside. Fire and medical personnel are alerted to retrieve the baby within minutes, who then take him or her to a hospital for medical evaluation. The child is then handed over to the state's Child Protection Services.
"Anything we can do to make that specific situation better," Wes Rogers, captain at the Cool Spring Fire Department told Indystar. "We try to do it every day with running our calls, fighting fires and helping sick people. This is just another way to help."
The proposal of "baby box" installation at public facilities was approved by the state government under the provisions of existing safe haven laws.
In the US, the safe haven laws were first introduced in Texas in 1999 when bodies of around dozen babies were found in city trash cans. The legislation was later adopted in other 50 states as well.
The baby-box arrangement was common in the middle ages, and was reintroduced in the modern era in 1952 in Pakistan. Since 2000, baby boxes have been installed in many countries, and are relatively common in Europe, most notably in Germany which has about 100 baby hatches. Pakistan has installed over 300 baby boxes.
In Germany, a need was felt for the 'babywieges' (baby cradles) in 1999, when frozen bodies of abandoned babies were found.
The baby box concept has also become well-known among the Korean community after the story of a Korean pastor named Jong Rak Lee, who installed a baby box and has taken care of hundreds of abandoned children since 1999, was made into a documentary called, 'The Drop Box,' which was released in March of last year.
Monica Kelsey, who pioneered the creation of the first two baby boxes with the help of other non-profits, is a volunteer firefighter and an ardent anti-abortion advocate. Knights of Columbus, a Catholic organization, will fund the first 100 incubator at an estimated cost of $1,500-$2,000 per box.
"I was abandoned as an infant back in 1973, so I've always been very close to the safe haven law," Kelsey told NBC News.
In 1972, Kelsey was abandoned by her 17-year-old mother who was raped and then left to die, according to her autobiography. Her mother had considered an abortion at an underground clinic because abortion was illegal at the time. At the clinic, she had a change of heart and did not terminate the pregnancy. After Kelsey was born, she left her at a hospital.
The provision of baby boxes was opposed by the Indiana Department of Health on the grounds that they might incur high costs of installation and will need to be monitored 24/7. The department also expressed concern about the safety of such boxes in extreme weather conditions and power outages. The health officials instead recommended increasing awareness about current Safe Haven facilities.
Kelsey, who founded Safe Haven Baby Boxes Inc., said that she had intended to fund the boxes privately, and was not seeking state grants. She had asked the health department 18 months to standardize and improve the incubators.
"We have listened to all the concerns and listened to all the criticisms, and it's helped us improve the box," she said. "We've never lost focus on our goal. It's to save these babies that are abandoned."
