Two newborns have been surrendered to the first Safe Haven Baby Box in Little Rock, Arkansas, before the box even had the opportunity to be blessed, WAFB9 reported.
“In just the last few weeks, we have had two instances of parents who have surrendered their newborn babies at our fire stations because they believed they had no other choice, for whatever the reason,” Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said.
Baby boxes were created to deter parents from abandoning their newborns, potentially leaving them to die. Baby boxes are temperature-controlled incubators often built into exterior walls of fire stations, police stations, and hospitals that can be accessed from inside. At-risk mothers can safely and legally place their newborns inside. Then, the outside door locks, and mothers have time to get away before an alarm goes off alerting first responders or hospital staff inside.
The baby is then quickly removed and sent to a hospital for a wellness check. From there, the baby is usually placed into state custody and often quickly adopted.
The City of Little Rock Fire Department hosted a public dedication ceremony for the baby box on Wednesday. A pastor from Calvary Baptist Church, which funded the installation of the baby box, blessed the box during the ceremony, according to the report.
“Our ultimate responsibility in each of those cases was to protect the infant’s well-being,” Scott said. “The installation of a Safe Haven Baby Box will ensure parents in crisis will have a 24/7, last-resort option to surrender their newborns and ensure the health and safety of the child.”
“While it is unfortunate that these are necessary, I appreciate the support of Calvary Baptist Church, Chief Hubbard and the Fire Department and others who have worked to install the first baby box in Little Rock,” he added.
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