Havens for Abandoned Babies Proposed

Ventura County officials are asking that fire stations be designated “safe havens,” where mothers can leave newborns with no questions asked.

Since 2001, state law has allowed mothers to drop off babies in hospital emergency rooms as a safe, legal alternative to abandonment.

But a wider number of drop-off points will make desperate women less likely to leave newborns in trash bins or under a bush, said Ted Myers, county Human Services Agency director.

It is rare for infants to be abandoned in Ventura County and rarer still for them to die as a result.

But it makes sense for the policy to be the same as neighboring Los Angeles County, which added fire stations as drop-off sites a year ago, Myers said.

The Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on the proposal Tuesday.

Ventura County is part of the same mass media area and an ongoing public campaign urges mothers to seek out fire stations, Myers said. Officials don’t want mothers to be confused about where to go, he said.

The goal is to avoid the tragedies of the early 1990s when unwanted newborns across California were regularly being left to die. In one Ventura County case, a farm laborer gave birth and dropped her newborn into a chemical toilet before returning to the fields.

In 2001, California became one of 41 states to enact legislation allowing a mother to bring a baby younger than 3 days old to a designated shelter without fear of prosecution.

“This gives the baby a chance,” Myers said. “The motives are very good. I just wish it had been 10 years ago.”

It will cost about $1,000 to get the program running, money that will be absorbed by the Ventura County Fire Department’s operating budget, Fire Chief Bob Roper said.

The fire district will place signs outside each of 46 stations identifying them as “Safely Surrendered Baby” sites, he said. Any infant dropped off would immediately be taken to a local hospital emergency room for observation.

Mothers have a 14-day cooling off period in which they can reclaim their baby. After that, the infant would become a ward of the court and would be available for adoption, county social service officials said.

Since the safe haven rule was adopted, no infants have been dropped off at Ventura County emergency rooms, officials said.

Statewide, 22 babies have been safely relinquished. Last year, 33 babies survived after being illegally abandoned by their parents, and nine were found dead.

Officials say that means there is still work to be done. In Ventura County, authorities are distributing brochures and posters about the program to get the word out.

“Even one that can be saved would make it worthwhile,” said County Executive Officer Johnny Johnston. “It’s almost no expense for potentially a great return.”