Kansas town creates safe place to leave unwanted babies

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Hutchinson, Kansas, marked a significant milestone with the installation of its first Safe Haven Baby Box at Fire Station 1, providing a secure option for parents to surrender their newborns anonymously.

The installation, revealed on Thursday at 2222 N. Main Street, follows recent modifications to Kansas’s Safe Haven legislation in 2023, which now permits these installations at fire and police stations, as reported by KAKE news.

🚨 IMPORTANT 🚨

In light of the baby found in a dumpster in Houston, Texas, I would like to draw attention to the existence of Safe Haven Baby Boxes in the USA. pic.twitter.com/FguDxwNG94

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Mothers in a difficult position are able to LEGALLY and SAFELY surrender their baby in…

— Hazel Appleyard (@HazelAppleyard_) July 27, 2024

“Being on the cutting edge is about meeting the needs of our community,” Hutchinson fire chief Steven Beer said. “This is going to be another great thing for the city of Hutchinson.”

These specialized boxes serve as a safeguard against infant abandonment in dangerous conditions. The temperature-regulated units, integrated into building walls, feature interior access points at emergency service locations and medical facilities. They enable parents to securely surrender infants, with an automatic locking mechanism and delayed alarm system alerting personnel.

“Within five minutes at the latest, someone is going to be here rescuing that baby,” Beer added.

After retrieval, infants undergo medical evaluation before entering state care, typically leading to swift adoption placement.

Kansas law permits the surrender of healthy infants up to 60 days old at various designated locations, including these boxes, healthcare facilities, and emergency service stations.

Monica Kelsey, who established Safe Haven Baby Boxes, revealed her personal connection as an abandoned infant born to a 17-year-old assault survivor.

Mothers can dump their newborn babies in a box and abandon them anonymously in Alabama.

The Safe Haven Baby Boxes initiative, allows a mother to leave the baby in a box located in a fire station within 45 days of birth, in the state which bans Abortion.

Once a baby is placed… pic.twitter.com/TnJKsE8Jre

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) August 13, 2024

“This is my legacy,” Kelsey said. “I will forever walk with these moms as they choose something safe for their child.”

“These babies are going to families who have been praying for them for a very long time,” Kelsey added.

This Hutchinson installation represents the 294th nationwide location, with the organization maintaining a round-the-clock confidential helpline at 1-866-99BABY1.