Since lawmakers passed the Newborn Protection Act 10 years ago, 21 babies have been left at Pennsylvania hospitals, including one at Memorial Hospital in 2004. Still, some infants are abandoned in unsafe locations each year.
| Yesterday's blob of fibre becomes today's baby. Funny how that works |
Among them was a baby girl left at Memorial Hospital in April 2004.
That infant was left by a woman in her late 20s to early 30s, who didn't leave her name or medical history, according to hospital staff at the time. The infant was examined and found to be healthy.
"When you look at that 21 number, every one of them is a success story, and that's 21 babies saved," said Anne Bale, spokesperson for the state Department of Public Welfare.
But, she added, "there are more (babies) out there."
"Every year in Pennsylvania, nearly a dozen newborns are abandoned," a press release from the Department of Public Welfare states. "While most are left with relatives or friends, a few are killed or left in unsafe locations."
That is frustrating, Bale said.
"This is completely preventable," she said. "You can take your baby to a hospital."
For some reason, despite efforts to publicize the act, "someone always overlooks it," Bale said. "That's one of the reasons to talk about our anniversary."
Some of the ad campaigns for the act address the "shame or fear" a parent might feel leaving their baby at a hospital, Bale said. Some hospitals have a bassinet or crib where babies may be left. In other hospitals, someone wishing to leave their baby would want to talk to a staff member and inform them they're leaving their baby there.
"While it's not an ideal situation, it's far better than abandoning your baby, which is illegal," Bale said.
A parent does not need to leave the baby in the hospital where it was born, nor does the parent need to leave the baby behind before they are discharged from the hospital. As long as the baby is 28 days old or younger and unharmed, the Newborn Protection Act applies.
Bale said babies left at hospitals are examined by a doctor, then turned over to the county of children and youth.
"Frequently, these children are quickly adopted," she said.
How the Newborn Protection Act works
The Newborn Protection Act, enacted in 2003, says any parent may leave a newborn at any hospital in Pennsylvania, as long as it is unharmed and 28 days old or younger.
In accordance with the law, every hospital has staff trained to take a baby that is left there. A parent wishing to leave their baby doesn't have to answer any questions or give their name. Anne Bale, spokesperson for the Department of Public Welfare, said procedure may vary from one hospital to the next. In general, a baby left at a hospital is given a medical exam and turned over to the county's children and youth program. From there, the baby is found a foster home with the hope of adoption, Bale said.
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