Check out the video below for a news story from Sacramento. A woman surrendered her newborn child to firefighters at the firehouse. The mother took advantage of a law that protects her from abandoning her child as long as she surrenders her baby at a firehouse or hospital emergency room. The “Safely Surrendered Baby” law allows for the mother to give up her baby anonymously and even gives her 14 days to change her mind. According to the news coverage, this is the second time this has taken place in Sacramento recently.
I know that in my State we have a similar law, however we have never had an occurrence in my City. What do you think? Is this something firefighters should be responsible for? This certainly is a better and more humane option than abortion!
Also on the FireCritic …
- Company Level Training from Sacramento Close Call – August 2, 2009
God forbid we teach birth control in the schools. I think this is a necessary safety net due to a lack of education and public information. Much like not fixing a traffic light, but parking more tow trucks in the area to deal with the accidents. Maybe fixing the problem before it happens could help?
BUT, at least she didn’t leave it behind a dumpster.
Our Department has a similar program and we have a neat packet to use if a baby is presented. But we are especially reminded not to be judgmental when accepting an infant.