Newborn Left on Apartment Doorstep with Heartbreaking Note: 'His Dad Tried To Kill Us'
Safe Haven laws — also known as “Baby Moses” laws in some states — have impacted thousands of newborns over the years.
These laws protect newborns and infants and offer parents a safe alternative, no strings attached, should they be unable to care for their child.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, “over 2,000 babies nationwide are known to have been positively impacted by the Baby Safe Haven program” since 1999.
Age limit varies by state. Depending on where you live, a baby can be left in the arms of hospital or fire station staff member from birth up to 60 days, according to Baby Safe Haven. Under these laws, the parents remain anonymous and do not face criminal charges.
In Florida, the window of allowable time is much shorter as the child must be one week old or younger. In the past 2 years, two separate incidents of infants being left at a particular apartment complex have occurred.
The first baby abandoned at Willow Key Apartments in Orlando was left in 2017. That infant girl was adopted, WESH reported.
Now a similar incident has occurred but this time it is a baby boy who has been left.
“This is crazy,” resident Kimberley Williams told the Orlando Sentinel. “This is really really crazy. Why do they keep leaving these babies like this?”
The answer is unclear. Perhaps the complex seems like a safe place for families. Even so, parents are urged to take infants to one of many A Safe Haven for Newborns locations instead.
The mom who recently left her infant son at the complex has not been identified. Only a note was left with some harrowing words as to why she could not care for the child.
Day-oldbaby left with note saying ‘I had him in the bathroom. His dad tried to kill us’ https://t.co/qSXuoZemk5
— Hannah Hardie (@hannah_hardie) July 23, 2019
“I had him in the bathroom alone,” the baby’s mother wrote. “His dad tried to kill us. Please keep him secret and take him to the hospital. Dad a very dangerous man.”
Graciela Izaguirre, the woman who found the abandoned boy, told WESH that the baby was crying and was wrapped in a polo shirt. She called 911 and he was taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital.
Are you familiar with the Baby Safe Haven statute in your state? It might be good to do some research and spread the word in your area. You never know when you might be able to save a life.
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