Safe Haven For Infants: Case Study
Safe Haven for Infants
Optional Assignment
The University of Rhode Island
There is a law in the state of Rhode Island called “The Safe Haven for Infants Act”. This law requires every hospital, medical emergency facility, fire station, or police station to take temporary custody of an infant who appears to be 30 days or younger, who is voluntarily left at the facility. There does not have to be a court order for this custody. The person leaving the infant is not required to identify themselves or disclose any information about themselves or the infant. I visited the Narragansett Fire Department to talk to Captain Peter Taylor about the Baby Safe Haven at his station. Captain Taylor discussed the law …show more content…
However, these Safe Havens save tax-payer money by reducing the time police and detectives would spend investigating an abandoned infant. When an infant is abandoned, police, detectives, crime scene investigators and the coroner’s office have to all be involved. Most of these workers are paid through the state and most are given over time for ongoing investigations. This over time comes out of the tax-payers money. Investigations regarding abandoned infants also require DNA testing. The average mitochondrial DNA test, which matches a human to their immediate maternal line, costs the state around $900 per test (Nixon, …show more content…
Although the locations of these Safe Havens may be different from state to state, the idea is all the same: A mother is able to take her infant to a safe location to have the baby taken care of, without question. Many states do use fire stations, hospitals and police stations as their main locations. This article touches upon the beginning of nurse’s role in infant abandonment. This issue of infant abandonment inspired the establishment of the Promote Public Awareness of Safe Haven Laws for Infant Abandonment Reference Proposal to the 2005 American Nurses Association House of Delegates (Eason, 2005). This proposal led to the recognition that education needed to be done on this subject. Because nurses are often employees or associated with the locations deemed “Safe Havens”, it is vital that nurses be aware of this law and all it
Optional Assignment
The University of Rhode Island
There is a law in the state of Rhode Island called “The Safe Haven for Infants Act”. This law requires every hospital, medical emergency facility, fire station, or police station to take temporary custody of an infant who appears to be 30 days or younger, who is voluntarily left at the facility. There does not have to be a court order for this custody. The person leaving the infant is not required to identify themselves or disclose any information about themselves or the infant. I visited the Narragansett Fire Department to talk to Captain Peter Taylor about the Baby Safe Haven at his station. Captain Taylor discussed the law …show more content…
However, these Safe Havens save tax-payer money by reducing the time police and detectives would spend investigating an abandoned infant. When an infant is abandoned, police, detectives, crime scene investigators and the coroner’s office have to all be involved. Most of these workers are paid through the state and most are given over time for ongoing investigations. This over time comes out of the tax-payers money. Investigations regarding abandoned infants also require DNA testing. The average mitochondrial DNA test, which matches a human to their immediate maternal line, costs the state around $900 per test (Nixon, …show more content…
Although the locations of these Safe Havens may be different from state to state, the idea is all the same: A mother is able to take her infant to a safe location to have the baby taken care of, without question. Many states do use fire stations, hospitals and police stations as their main locations. This article touches upon the beginning of nurse’s role in infant abandonment. This issue of infant abandonment inspired the establishment of the Promote Public Awareness of Safe Haven Laws for Infant Abandonment Reference Proposal to the 2005 American Nurses Association House of Delegates (Eason, 2005). This proposal led to the recognition that education needed to be done on this subject. Because nurses are often employees or associated with the locations deemed “Safe Havens”, it is vital that nurses be aware of this law and all it