Iowa Department of Human Services spokesman, Roger Munns, says a child is now in the hands of the state that was dropped off at a hospital under the Safe Haven law. Munns says a woman, who was not the mother of the child, dropped the newborn baby off two days ago and left immediately without providing any information.
The Safe Haven law was created in July of 2001 in the wake of a high-profile case involving a teen-aged girl in eastern Iowa who delivered and then killed her baby. Munns says unwanted babies aged 14 days or less may be left at any health facility with no questions asked.
Munns says the baby was a healthy seven-pound seven-ounce Caucasian girl and they’ll now follow the procedures outlined in the law. He says the DHS will place the child with an adoptive family and there will be a hearing in a month and the child will then be adopted. Munns says this is the ninth time the law has been used.
"Obviously this is not the recommended way to handle a troubled pregnancy," Munns says, "you should always consult with someone who you trust and get correct prenatal care, and deliver the child in an approved a facility…and start making arrangements for an adoption. But if all those things fail, there’s is one final right thing to do. Bring the child to any health facility."
Munns says this is the first time in over a year that the Safe Haven Law has been used. The state does not identify the hospital or part of the state where the baby was left in order to protect the identity of the parents.