CV NEWS FEED // The first Safe Haven baby box in Maine is set to be installed in a local fire station, giving mothers in crisis an option to anonymously and safely surrender their newborns up for adoption.
Maine Senator Lisa Keim (R-Dixfield) recently expressed her support of the Safe Haven baby box, explaining that it is a crucial resource that saves lives.
“[The baby box is] a safe receptacle for a mother who finds herself in really difficult circumstances to bring her child to a safe location and drop that child off,” Keim said, according to local news outlet WGME 13.
“This could save a tragedy from happening,” she added.
The baby box is being included in the construction designs for the new city fire station in Rumford, Maine.
“Now’s the time to install when the building’s under construction, so we don’t have to reinvent the wheel later after it’s built,” Rumford Fire Chief Chris Reed told WGME 13.
Maine passed a law in 2021 expanding safe haven laws to allow baby boxes to be installed across the state at participating fire stations and other locations to provide greater anonymity. Previously, mothers could surrender their infant under 31 days old to participating hospitals or police stations.
Reed explained that when an infant is left in a Safe Haven baby box, emergency personnel are notified, which immediately responds and takes the child to the local hospital for any necessary care. The child is later placed in foster care and later, up for adoption.
However, the new baby boxes cannot be officially opened for use until the Maine Department of Health and Services finalizes the safety regulations for the boxes, according to the 2021 law. The Department has yet to adopt these rules.
In anticipation of the finalized rules, the Rumford fire station is still including a designated space for a baby box.
“If we save one baby, it’s worth it,” Fire Chief Reed said.
State Representative Rachel Henderson (R-Rumford) echoed Reed and Keim’s messages, adding that she hopes the Department finalizes the rules soon.
“At times, rulemaking can take time,” Henderson said. “But when we’re talking about the lives of children and newly born babies, time is of the essence.”
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Author: McKenna Snow
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