Across the country, Safe Haven Laws are giving newborns a chance at life and parents in crisis a safe, compassionate option. New Jersey was one of the first states to pass such a law 25 years ago— and I had the privilege of working side by side with legislators to craft this life-saving measure. It remains one of the highlights of my pro-life work.
We called it the New Jersey Safe Haven Infant Protection Act, and soon, many other states followed our lead by passing similar laws. The law was born out of tragedy.
At the time, we were seeing what felt like an epidemic of newborns abandoned in unsafe places and left to die. One of the most shocking cases came out of Lacey Township, where the so-called “Prom Mom” secretly gave birth in a bathroom and left her baby to die.
Stories like this were heartbreaking — and totally unacceptable. We knew we had to create a way to protect vulnerable newborns and give desperate parents a safe, compassionate alternative.
The NJ Safe Haven law does exactly that. It allows a parent — or someone acting on the parent’s behalf — to safely and anonymously surrender an unharmed infant, 30 days old or younger, to any police station or hospital emergency room. No questions are asked. Parents have 21 days to reclaim the child if they change their mind. If they do not, adoption proceedings move quickly so the child can be placed in a loving home as soon as possible.
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Since its original passage, we have worked hard to make the law even stronger, for example by making additional safe drop-off sites. It now includes firehouses, first aid squads, and rescue stations.
We also secured a crucial educational component — the Safe Haven Law is now part of the public school core curriculum for grades 9–12. Teenagers now know about this option in case they or someone they know may find themselves in a situation where they are unable to care for a newborn infant.
Most recently, the law was expanded to give mothers who deliver in a hospital the option to surrender their baby before leaving. Each of these improvements means that more lives can be saved.
And lives are being saved. Just this past week, a local publication reported that the 100th baby had been safely surrendered under New Jersey’s Safe Haven law. Grateful parents have described the law in moving terms:
“It can be the difference between a gruesome story on the evening news — or a chance at a happy and healthy life for a newborn baby.”
“Safe Haven is possibly one of the best things that New Jersey or any state has ever put into play.” — Leslie, a South Jersey mother who previously adopted one of the 100 babies through Safe Haven.
Every one of those 100 babies represents a life spared from tragedy, a family spared from heartbreak, and a future filled with hope. But the work is not done. Too many parents unable to care for a newborn for whatever reason still do not know that Safe Haven exists. Too many lives are still lost because fear, shame, or desperation take hold.
In addition to legislation, New Jersey Right to Life frequently sponsors billboards across the state to promote awareness of the Safe Haven law, and detailed information is available on our PregnantNJ website, helping to ensure that parents in crisis know how to safely surrender their newborns.
Awareness is critical. This law only works if people know about it. Parents, teachers, pastors, community leaders, and concerned citizens must help spread the word.
Tell young people about Safe Haven. Share it on social media.
Talk about it in schools, churches, and workplaces. Lives may be saved simply because communities know help is available — and because newborns have a chance to be placed into loving arms instead of abandoned. In recognition of its importance, the New Jersey Legislature recently passed a joint resolution declaring September as Safe Haven Awareness Month.
Safe Haven laws are a lifeline, a second chance, and a demonstration of what can be achieved when compassion and common-sense guide public policy. By promoting awareness and supporting these laws, we can continue to save lives and protect vulnerable infants.
Safe Haven makes that possible — and together, we can ensure that more lives are saved in New Jersey and across the nation.
LifeNews.com Note: Marie Tasy is the executive director of New Jersey Right to Life.
