Wisconsin has a Safe Haven Law designed to prevent the abandonment of infants.
From a column written by state Senator Sheila Harsdorf:
“On April 3, 2001, Wisconsin became one of 14 states to adopt a safe haven law. Under the legislation signed by Governor Scott McCallum, newborn children believed to be under the age of 72 hours may be surrendered into the custody of a law enforcement officer, emergency medical technician (EMT), or hospital staff member. If a parent is unable to travel to such a location, the parent may utilize the “911” emergency telephone number wherein a law enforcement officer or EMT would be dispatched to take the surrendered child into custody. The parent who surrenders the child is given complete anonymity and confidentiality, provided that the child is unharmed in any way. The newborn is then placed for adoption.
According to a study by the National Institute of Health and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, between 1983 and 1991, approximately 1350 infants were killed before reaching 4 months of age. 140 Infants were killed in their first day of life, with 130 of those not being born in hospitals.”
The Safe Haven Law is no longer unique. All 50 states have one, with Nebraska becoming the 50th state to put one on the books last month. However, Nebraska’s law is far different from the other 49. I talked about it on WISN Friday.
Read how Nebraska’s Safe Haven Law goes much too far.
