Connecticut's Safe Havens For Newborns Act Means No One Ever Has to Abandon a Child
April 4th is Safe Havens Awareness Day in Connecticut. Make sure that people in your community know that there is always a safe place for newborn children.
In 2000, the State of Connecticut passed the Safe Havens Act For Newborns, a law that allows anyone to safely drop off a newborn baby, within the first 30 days of life, to any hospital emergency room in Connecticut, without being subject to arrest for abandonment. Under this provision, new parents or caregivers can safely handover custody of their infant children with no questions asked and without fear of legal repercussion. The intention of this law is to ensure the safety of newborns as well provide support for new mothers, fathers or caretakers that are not able to care for their newborn children.
Infant abandonment legislation has been passed in every state across the country and every state has reported lives saved through the existence of these laws.
In 2017, it was reported that since the passage of Connecticut's Safe Havens Act, 31 infants had been safely dropped off at emergency rooms throughout the state.
If you or someone you know is interested in more information, call 2-1-1, Connecticut's 24/7 health and human service information and referral line.
You can also access this information by visiting the 2-1-1 website (www.211ct.org) and searching, "Safe Havens for Abandoned Newborns" or utilizing the links below:
Click HERE to access a complete list of designated safe haven locations in Connecticut.
Click HERE to read the 2-1-1 eLibrary paper regarding Connecticut's Safe Havens Act.
Click HERE to visit the National Safe Haven Alliance website.
Thank you for spreading awareness about this important law and helping to protect newborn children
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About 2-1-1 Connecticut
2-1-1 Connecticut is a free health and human service information and referral service, with a continuously updated database of more than 4,000 agencies and 40,000 programs and services. Free, confidential assistance is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year online at 211ct.org and over the phone by dialing 2-1-1. 2-1-1 Connecticut has organizational accreditations from the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS), and the contact center is certified by the American Association of Suicidology for crisis intervention.