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Changes Proposed to Illinois Safe Haven Law
Supporters of the Safe Haven law are calling on lawmakers in the state Senate to pass H.B. 3925, which makes key changes to strengthen the current law.

According to the Save Abandoned Babies Foundation, the bill would extend the time a parent can relinquish their unharmed newborn from seven days to 30 days, and updates the language authorizing relinquishment to any staff person at a fire station.

The Illinois Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act, or Safe Haven law, passed with unanimous support in 2001, allows a parent to relinquish their newborn, anonymously, to personnel at a police station, fire station, hospital or emergency medical care facility. Since that time, 51 babies in Illinois have been safely and legally relinquished.

While Dawn Geras, spokeswoman for SAB, calls the program a success in offering another option for mothers, she says not all facilities dubbed "Safe Havens" are marked as such. She says some police and fire stations may not know about the 2001 law. She adds that safe havens that need a designation sign to mark the building as a safe haven can contact her office for more information at (312) 440-0229. People are also encouraged to visit www.saveabandonedbabies.org.

(Illinois Radio Network)
05 07 09 by Newsroom
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