Abilene became the first city in Texas to put up a Safe Haven Baby Box at a local fire station.
The box is temperature-controlled, padded, and monitored, providing a safe and anonymous option to parents wishing to surrender their children.
When someone opens the door of the box, a silent alarm alerts firefighters who then would take the baby to a hospital for a medical evaluation.
A local Pro-Life organization raised $20,000 to make this option a reality in Texas and it was finally installed at Abilene’s Fire Station No. 7 Tuesday.
Tragically, Texas leads the nation in infant abandonment, according to KLTV.
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Texas’ “Baby Moses” law allows parents who may not be able to care for their child to safely place him or her in the care of those at a fire station, hospital, or police station with 24-7 employees within 60 days after birth. All 50 states have safe haven laws; the timing and manner allowed to surrender a child can vary by state.
Abilene Fire Chief Cande Flores told local news, “We’re in the business of saving lives, and we have lots of equipment to do that, and to us, this is another piece of the equipment that allows the public an opportunity to go to somewhere… Anonymous. It’s safe, and they can provide something for their child that, normally, they cannot.”
God bless Abilene for installing Texas’ first Safe Haven Baby Box! pic.twitter.com/O7SzBxusTG
— Texas Right to Life (@TXRightToLife) April 5, 2024
Texas was the first state to enact a “Baby Moses” law in 1999 after 13 babies were found abandoned within just a 10-month period. However, the policy did not allow the option to anonymously surrender a child in a safety device until 2023.
Safe Haven laws provide a crucial avenue for parents who may find themselves in difficult situations and in need of a safe and anonymous option to ensure their child’s well-being.
There are over 52,000 fire stations in the United States. Only a few currently offer baby boxes for new parents to safely and anonymously surrender their infants.
Can you make a difference in your community to care for these children?
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