by: Melissa Flen
When first hearing “Safe Haven Baby Box”, the phrase can be perplexing. “Baby box” is perhaps too simple a term for what is actually a meaningful and significant addition to communities around our country. The word “box” drums up images in our minds of brown cardboard packages piled up on our doorsteps around Christmas time; not something that we particularly associate with babies – and certainly not putting babies in. These thoughts seem to be common first reactions to the idea of a Safe Haven Baby Box coming to our community. The reality of the baby box however, is far beyond the image of a dusty old cardboard box with a baby nestled within. The reality of it, especially when compared to the heartbreaking alternative, is really quite beautiful.
New Mexico is known for its lack of limits on abortion laws. Since the reversal of Roe v. Wade, women travel to our state for the intent of procuring an abortion from all over the country. We are now considered an abortion tourism state. Knowing this, it comes as a surprise to many that a state that promotes abortion tourism would also have a law on the books that is incredibly compassionate to both mothers and their babies. The New Mexico Safe Haven for Infants Act gives parents of an infant 90 days old or less the opportunity to surrender their baby without fear of being charged with abandonment. Law enforcement agencies, hospitals, and fire stations have been designated safe haven sites throughout the state.
Knowing that New Mexico has a safe haven law and spreading awareness of the law, especially to those families or individuals who are most at risk, is of utmost importance. The knowledge of the safe haven act alone is enough to save lives but our community, along with other communities around the country, are taking it a step further. We are not only interested in spreading awareness of the safe haven act, we are interested in reaching out to the women who may be facing this decision and making it as easy as possible for them. Mothers who are faced with the decision to surrender their infant need help. Some need guidance in parenting, some need connection to resources in their area, some need help in surrendering their infant, and they all need counseling to help them through the difficult situation they are in. How can this all be achieved? Through the Safe Haven Baby Box organization.
Monica Kelsey, the founder of the Safe Haven Baby Box (SHBB) organization, is passionate about saving babies who are at risk of being abandoned. The reason for this passion is a profound one – she was abandoned as a baby herself. She started the SHBB organization to save babies by offering counsel via a hotline to women considering surrendering their infants and by protecting their identity in the case of surrender. There are over 100 baby boxes across the country installed in state designated safe haven locations. These baby boxes are far from the image of the cardboard box on our doorsteps; instead they are secure, safe, state of the art boxes installed into an exterior wall of safe haven locations. The door to the box can be opened from the outside by the mother intending to surrender her baby. When she does so, a silent alarm will sound inside the building to make staff aware that a baby is being surrendered. The mom can safely place her baby inside a bassinet within the baby box. When she closes the door, it will lock automatically in order to keep the baby safe. The staff member will then open the baby box door on the interior of the building and remove the baby. The baby box is climate controlled in order to ensure the baby’s safety and comfort and has multiple levels of alarms installed in order to ensure that the baby receives prompt care.
The SHBB organization, and the over 100 communities who raised money for the boxes, the installation process, the upkeep, the advertisement, and the 24 hour hotline, have resulted in the safe surrender of 32 babies in the boxes. People may question the need for a baby box in our community but the truth is, baby boxes need to be installed in as many communities as possible around the country because we never know where or when the need will arise. New Mexico has been shocked by two abandoned infants in the last two years. One infant in Hobbes was put into a trash bag and tossed into a dumpster by his mother and left to die in the cold in January 2022. Thankfully, the baby was discovered in the dumpster and was rescued before he died but the mother has been sentenced to 16 years in prison. Only one year later, in January of this year, a young woman from Artesia gave birth to her baby in a hospital bathroom, wrapped the baby in a trash bag and placed him in the bathroom trash can. Keep in mind that a hospital in New Mexico is a safe haven location. Tragically, this baby boy did not survive and the young woman has been charged with homicide. These situations are tragedies for the babies, the mothers, and their families. These situations are tragedies for their entire communities. Clearly, the need is significant.
Though there is a pronounced division between people who consider themselves to be pro-life and those who consider themselves to be pro-choice, this particular issue transcends this divide. Though it was the local Right to Life organization who coordinated the pending installation of Portales’ very own Safe Haven Baby Box at the Fire Station on Avenue D, this is something that we can all support, regardless of our individual stances on the issue of abortion. Saving the lives of babies in our community, offering compassionate support to mothers, and giving mothers a discreet opportunity to surrender their infant rather than abandoning them are not issues that should cause division. Instead, we should come together to show our community’s support for something that has the potential only to bless the members of our community.
In order to achieve this goal, Portales and the surrounding communities have already raised the funds to cover the expenses associated with the baby box and a local contractor and electrician have donated the materials, labor, and time for the installation of the box. The pending installation of Portales’ Safe Haven Baby Box will be discussed at the city council meeting taking place September 12th at 5:30pm at the Memorial Building. Please make plans to attend this meeting to show your support for the baby box. Please also take the time to contact your city council members encouraging them to vote in favor of the Safe Haven Baby Box. The baby box will be a wonderful step for our community to show love and support to the women and children in our community. We never know when the need for the baby box will arise and we will never regret the decision to have it when it does.
Contact information for the city council members can be found here: https://www.portalesnm.gov/government/city_council/index.php
If you are pregnant or the mother of an infant and are in need of counseling, please call the National Safe Haven Crisis Line at 1-866-99BABY1
If you are interested in learning more about the New Mexico Safe Haven for Infants Act click here https://www.cyfd.nm.gov/protective-services/new-mexico-safe-haven-for-infants-act/
If you are interested in learning more about the Safe Haven Baby Box organization click here https://shbb.org/
