"Safe Haven" Bill coming to Mass.?

[NJFFSA16]

Our Massachusetts brothers and sisters could become "temporary" foster parents...
BOSTON (AP) - A bill that would allow parents to drop off their
unwanted newborns at emergency rooms, fire stations and police
stations won approval in the Massachusetts House on Monday.
The so-called "safe haven" bill failed to come up for a final
vote during the House's formal session, which ended July 31, but
passed on an earlier vote with just 10 members opposed.
Only non-controversial bills are supposed to be brought up
during the Legislature's informal sessions.
The bill approved Monday made a few key changes, including
lowering the age at which a child can be abandoned without the
parents facing criminal prosecution from 30 days to seven days.
Under current Massachusetts law, the parents of an abandoned
child could face up to 2 1/2 years in jail. Most states have some
form of safe haven law.
Supporters say the bill will protect children by easing the
problem of parents abandoning newborn children in unsafe locations.
Opponents, who said they were concerned the bill would encourage
child abandonment, said they were able to reach a compromise by
lowering the age to seven days.
"Virtually all the children who are abandoned are abandoned in
the first 24, 48 or 72 hours," said Rep. Bran Jones, R-North
Reading, who initially opposed the bill. "We wanted to make sure
we did not put out legislation that would encourage parents to
abandon their babies."
The bill must still go to the Senate and be signed by acting
Gov. Jane Swift before becoming law.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[Dalmatian90]

Couldn't find the exact bill to read, but in general principle I'm strongly opposed to fire stations being used as "safe havens." Police stations, too.

Getting people to think they can just drop a baby off at a fire station is very dangerous -- that company could be out at a call for several hours. Even worse, what happens when someone decides to drop a kid off at a volunteer firehouse and no one comes by for a day or two? Even police stations in rural areas aren't always staffed. We have an office in town with a big sign, "State Trooper." Of course we only have two Resident State Troopers who use that office -- you can easily go 2 or 3 days sometimes without either on duty and checking their office.

I doubt most people would pickup on some lame provision like, "must be handed to someone." They'll hear they can get a get-out-of-jail free card by just dropping off the kid at a fire station.

Problems with teen pregnancy is not just an urban issue -- my county, with a single small career department (24 guys) and the rest entirely volunteer fire, has by far the highest teen pregnacy rates in the state. While urban poverty and drug use may be concentrated, there's just as much out here in poorer rural areas sometimes (I personally worked two Heroin overdose codes last year, which for a small podunk like mine was pretty amazing).

What may seem like a reasonable solution for urban areas is just a tragedy waiting to happen in rural areas facing the same issues.

[CaptainGonzo]

I too am against using a firehouse for a safe haven...especially when the politicians and the ones who dream this stuff up don't even bother to ask the fire service what we think about it!

Imagine this...a young girl who just gave birth who decides to leave her baby at a firehouse....she rings the doorbell and leaves the child. The Station is empty becuse the crew is on a run or it is a call and/or volunteer department. The child dies from exposure to the elements...who do you think will get the blame? Here's a hint..it's not going to be the mother who abandoned the child....

Once again, the politico and bleeding hearts are dumping their problems on us! :mad:

[dfdex1]

Wow I remember one time during a meeting a box came in and all the ff left. About 10 minutes later some guy comes up and ask's for directions and all 3 of us froze because we didnt want to get in trouble by talking to someone, so we had a huddle and gave him the directions. I can only see the look on my adviseors face if they got back fom a run and saw we got a baby while we they were gone!!!!!!!!!:eek: :eek: :eek:
In my personal opinion I think emergency services have enough to deal with as it is and dont need to run a day care center too.

[firemangeorge]

We have a similar law here in Ohio. The law is pretty clear in requiring the child be left with an employee, not left on the stoop (Give the politicos a little credit). As much hoopla as this generated when it first passed, there have been very few cases of women actually taking advantage of it, and none that I know of at firehouses. In the childs interest, it is probably a good thing. If a woman wants to rid herself of the kid that bad, she's probably going to do it one way or another.

[engine23]

We have a similar law in Texas and I have always wondered what would happen if someone left a baby at my Vollie house. Generally no one would even stop by during normal working hours. I am sure the pad gets up to 120 degrees in the summer.

I do see the purpose of the law in in principal agree it is better for some children to be given up than forced into crap families. Another example of good intentions gone bad????

Andy

[RyanEMVFD]

we have the law here in texas and i can't think of too many times that it has happened. mostly they are dropped off at hospitals. as for the volunteer fire departments, i think i recall something about the fire station having to be manned or something before the baby can be dropped off.

[ALSfirefighter]

We also have the law here in NY since 2000, and the statistics I have seen have all shown that since these laws have been adopted in certain states, infant deaths due to abandoment, or flat out murder have dropped. I am all for it. There have been very few instances of baby's being dropped off. As far as taking a company out of service..it should only take as long as the ambulance arriving to take the child to the hospital for evaluation. Also as far as leaving a baby at a unmanned fire station, the baby probably has a better chance of being found there, then in a dumpster. We also rotate 1 station OOS every shift and we also had concern about someone just dropping a child off, and it came down to the..its better then a dumpster chance wise, and also education. Only problem with education is the school district has not been very receptive about us doing some lectures on the issue. But meanwhile, we are 3rd in our county, and when I was in school #1 for 5 years in teen pregnacy. Apparantly to them, trying to get the message across to someone that there is help and counseling out there to help keep the baby, not just be able to leave it somewhere is a problem, not the fact that they are getting pregnant anyway.

Also, these laws weren't dreamed up by politicians, it was a contigent of lobbyist and foundations, 1 which was started by a group of fire, ems and police personnel to get the movement going to get a law to help protect those who can't protect themselves. That is one of our main duties...Help those who can't help themselves.

[RyanEMVFD]

http://www.firehouse.com/news/2002/10/25_IBSfl.html

here is the very occurance in florida.

[CaptainGonzo]

Originally posted by firemangeorge
We have a similar law here in Ohio. The law is pretty clear in requiring the child be left with an employee, not left on the stoop (Give the politicos a little credit). As much hoopla as this generated when it first passed, there have been very few cases of women actually taking advantage of it, and none that I know of at firehouses. In the childs interest, it is probably a good thing. If a woman wants to rid herself of the kid that bad, she's probably going to do it one way or another.

George...tell that to the parents abandoning the child...they just want to be "rid" of a "problem"...they don't give a fat rat's rump about the law!

[Engine101]

Well folks this nothing new out here in California it has been a law for awhile
But the law does not always work
Several months ago E101, Sq101 responded to a call and found out that a newborn baby had been left in a garbage dumpster A very heartbreaking response to think that someone could do this
Had the people not found the baby when they did the child could of been killed considering the following day was trash collection day

I am in favor of any law that would provide a temporary safe place to leave your newborn baby any place as long as it is not a garbage dumpster

[MikeF25]

I agree with Engine 101 on this. Maybe a firehouse is
not the best place for a baby to be left, but is beats
the hell out of a dumpster.