![]() ![]() As expected, though, laws vary state by state: Four states require the mother to do the relinquishing, and a handful of states need the newborn to be less than 72 hours old. ![]() Hospitals and fire stations are often safe-haven locations. While a good deal of them are in Kelsey’s home state of Indiana, it's important to note that all 50 states have Safe Haven Laws designed to keep newborns alive and protect parents in crisis. You can locate dozens of boxes in multiple states. In this video, she explains how a Safe Haven Baby Box works: ![]() Kelsey, not surprisingly, has worked as a paramedic and volunteer firefighter herself. Most of the boxes are at fire stations or hospitals, where an EMT or other professional can retrieve the baby almost immediately. There’s time to tuck the baby inside, shut the door (it locks automatically), then leave anonymously - no face-to-face encounter needed. When a person opens the drawer, a silent alarm signals first responders. The revelation inspired Kelsey to write a book and, ultimately, create the Safe Haven Baby Box as a solution for mothers in crisis. She survived, and when she found out she was pregnant, she decided to carry the baby to term. Raised by a loving adoptive family, she didn’t learn all of the harrowing details until she was in her 30s - at 17, her birth mother was raped and left for dead. Kelsey herself was given up by her own birth mother two hours after birth. The Safe Haven Baby Box is Kelsey’s brainchild. Her latest TikTok videos have racked up hundreds of thousands of views, shining a light on the anguish a mother must feel when giving up her baby.įor more than five years, Kelsey has been on a mission to make sure that parents in crisis can surrender newborns safely. And you can't watch Monica Kelsey - the founder of that device - describe receiving a newborn, dropped anonymously to be given up to new parents, and not want to cry yourself. If you've spent any time scrolling through TikTok lately (and really, who hasn't?), a video featuring something called a "Safe Haven Baby Box" has probably landed in your feed. ![]()
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