A newborn baby was left in the only ‘safe haven baby box’ in Florida – the first time it has been used since it was installed in November 2020.
The box, inset into the wall of a fire station in Ocala, is one of 134 Safe Haven boxes in the US that enable a parent to anonymously hand over unwanted babies.
They have been used 23 times since the first was launched in November 2017.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes’ Founder and CEO, Monica Kelsey, thanked the person who used the box, but would not reveal the gender of the child or the time and date of the drop-off to preserve their anonymity.
When we launched this box in Florida, I knew it wasn’t going to be an if – it was going to be a matter of when,’ Kelsey told NPR. ‘This does not come as a surprise.’
All states in the US have ‘safe haven’ laws that allow mothers to surrender their babies to authorities without fear of criminal charges.
More than ten states have introduced laws in recent years that permit the installation of baby boxes.
However, they have attracted controversy. Last August the New York Times published a story that was critical of the baby box, calling it ‘a concept dating back to medieval Europe.
‘It also described them as being a ‘conservative’ initiative designed to oppose abortion and to place greater emphasis on adoption instead.
Kelsey said on Thursday: ‘We want to address the parent who legally surrendered this infant, and right now I’m going to talk directly to her or him.
‘Thank you. Thank you for keeping your child safe. Thank you for bringing your child to a place that you knew was going to take care of this child.’
Kelsey found inspiration to start the organization came after she saw a box in South Africa, according to her website. She then founded the organization in her native state of Indiana.
Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn was pleased to see the box help the child, whom he called a ‘miracle baby,’ according to WKMG-TV and WESH.
‘I knew when we did this in 2020, this day would come – we all did – we just didn’t know when,’ Guinn said, per the outlets.
‘We’re glad it was there as a resource.
‘There have been 23 infants placed in baby boxes since the program began in Nov. 2017, according to Safe Haven’s website.
The organization says it has assisted with seven adoption referrals in addition to over 100 legal Safe Haven surrenders.
