The Safe Haven Law's There for a Reason

The California Safely Surrendered Baby Law (also known as the "Safe Haven" law) allows newborns to be dropped off at emergency rooms or fire stations within three days of birth -- without fear of arrest of prosecution on child abandonment charges.

The law was signed by then-Gov. Gray Davis in September 2000 and went into effect on January 1, 2001. But despite the publicity in the media surrounding this law, newborns being tossed happens all too often in this town. Another baby was found in a trash bag this weekend near railroad tracks in Alhambra. According to the CBS 2 news site:

The umbilical cord was still attached to the newborn. There may be evidence that she was abandoned immediately after birth.

"It is believed the baby had been thrown from Front Street, over a chain-link fence, to where the baby landed approximately 40 feet below the street level near the railroad tracks," according to a police statement.

The baby weighed about 4-5 pounds and appeared to have been born alive before being abandoned, according to the coroner's office.

LAist understands that unwanted pregnancies can be a very scary thing. But there's no need for this as a last resort. Please call 1.877.BABY.SAFE or visit the site www.babysafela.org to find more information or the closest drop-off point.

Flickr photo from scottandlaurahilton.