Safe Haven Baby Boxes
Monica Kelsey, founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, will speak at the Catholic Diocese of Arlington Respect Life Conference, Saturday, September 7, 10 -11:30 am, at St. Ambrose Church in Annandale, VA. Following her talk, we'll get an update on the Northern Virginia initiative. This event is free but registration is appreciated. REGISTER.
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​Safe Haven baby boxes allow parents of newborns to surrender a baby anonymously, legally, and safely in compliance with state law. The boxes also let the mother know of available resources for her and her child.
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Share this FLYER on how to participate!
Background on the Safe Haven Baby Box
The Virginia Safe Haven Law allows a parent to safely surrender an unharmed infant up to 30 days old to a staff member at a designated Safe Haven location, e.g. a hospital emergency room or a fire station with emergency medical personnel on site. In lieu of a person-to-person surrender, the law also approves the use of a newborn safety device (such as a Safe Haven baby box) located at a hospital or fire station.
The non-profit orgnization Safe Haven Baby Boxes (SHBB) was founded in 2015 by Monica Kelsey, a firefighter and medic from Indiana. The baby box is temperature-controlled and immediately alerts first responders inside the building when it is opened. A national 24-hour hotline is publicized that women in crisis can call and receive counseling and assistance free of charge.
To date, the hotline has received over 9,000 calls from every state in the U.S. SHBB has referred over 500 women to crisis pregnancy centers, assisted in 9 adoption referrals, and has had over 150 legal Safe Haven surrenders. Fifty babies have been surrendered in Baby Boxes. Three babies were surrendered directly to firefighters at Safe Haven Baby Box locations.​
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The total cost of a Safe Haven baby box (construction, installation, testing, training, legal paperwork) is approximately $20,000.
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SHBB’s mission is to prevent illegal abandonment of newborns by raising awareness of the Safe Haven Law, providing a 24/7 hotline for mothers in crisis, and offering the Safe Haven baby boxes as a last resort option for women who want to maintain complete anonymity.