Advocate hopes newly-expanded safe haven law will save more Florida babies' lives

TAMPA, Fla. — When infants are unsafely abandoned, it tugs on the heartstrings of Nikki Daniels, the associate director of the nonprofit Champions for Children.

However, Daniels is hoping a new law, HB 775, will help.

“I think every reduction — every single child we can prevent from being abused — matters,” she said.

Florida’s Safe Haven law was expanded as of last week.

Babies 30 days old or younger can be surrendered at any hospital, fire station, or EMS station that has a full-time staff.

The previous version of the law gave parents just seven days to make that decision.

“Parents that I’ve talked to — new parents in that first seven days — they don’t even know which way is up. You know, so to make a decision like that within seven days would be really, really tough,” said Daniels. “To give somebody that full 30 days to think through and really decide, ‘You know what, I just can’t do this. I don’t want to go through the whole, you know, hassle that it is with an adoption and things like that. Let me just take my baby where I know they’re going to be safe and taken care of,’ gives them more time to make that decision.”

The new law also allows parents without transportation to surrender their child by calling 911.

Daniels, meanwhile, wishes more parents would get help from nonprofits like hers before surrendering, but nevertheless, hopes the new law will mean fewer cases in which children are abused or abandoned unsafely.

“If it only reduces a couple a year or one a year, that one child — it’s better for that one child. So, I think anything we can do to reduce child abuse, no matter how much it is, is worthwhile,” she said.

According to a state analysis, since 2000, 380 babies have been surrendered at a safe haven in Florida. In that same time frame, 63 babies were unsafely abandoned. Of the 63, 32 died.

You can call Safe Haven for Newborns 24/7 at 1-877-767-2229.