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Safe Haven Law Could be Expanded
(IRN)-A 10 year old law will be getting a facelift if lawmakers in Springfield agree.

The state's Safe Haven Law, which allows unwanted newborns to be dropped off at a fire or police station without any accusations of wrongdoing toward the mother, would be expanded to include university campus police stations and Illinois State Police district buildings, if a House bill passes in the Senate.

"University police departments serve an inexperienced and often immature young adult population where unplanned pregnancies occur," said Dawn Geras, president of the Save Abandoned Babies Foundation. "On any campus there is a real possibility of a newborn infant being abandoned to the environment or other unsafe places."

Since the law was adopted in 2001, 67 babies have been safely and legally relinquished. Over that same time period, another 62 were illegally abandoned, 30 of which did not survive.

"Anything we can do to save innocent lives is worth the effort," said State Senator Suzi Schmidt (R-Lake Villa), who is a co-sponsor of the bill.

The Safe Haven Law allows a parent to relinquish an unharmed newborn, up to 30 days old, to personnel at a hospital, emergency medical care facility, police or fire station anonymously, with no fear of prosecution for abandonment.

Geras says there was full support for the measure when it passed out of the House.

(Source: Illinois Radio Network)
04 21 11 by Newsroom
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