By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
According to a press release from the Whitewater Fire & EMS Department, the department and the city on March 27 signed a contract for acquiring a Safe Haven Baby Box which will be installed on the west side of the municipal building, 312 W. Whitewater Street. The box allows for the safe, anonymous surrender of a newborn infant. After an infant is placed in the box, the box is automatically locked on the exterior and an alarm immediately notifies the EMS personnel, who will evaluate the baby within minutes before transferring it to a hospital.
A law that was enacted in 2001 allows for the anonymous surrender of an infant less than 72 hours old to a police officer, emergency medical staff person, or hospital staff member. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, between 2012 and December, 2023, at least 209 infants were surrendered in that manner. It is felt, however, that especially in smaller communities a mother may be apprehensive that they will be recognized by someone to whom they are surrendering an infant. The finding of a deceased infant in a field in the city on March 4, 2023 prompted Representative Ellen Schutt to author legislation that would allow for the use of baby boxes. That law was signed into law in December, 2023.
The nonprofit organization that markets the Safe Haven Baby Boxes indicates that 43 babies have been surrendered to one of their boxes. The organization also provides a national 24-hour hotline to provide counseling and assistance to mothers in crisis. They indicate that they have received over 9000 calls and have referred over 500 women to crisis pregnancy centers.
Supporters of the baby boxes say they save lives. They are not, however, without criticism. According to NPR, in 2012 the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child began advocating for a ban on the approach, believing that baby boxes only encourage parents to give away babies. Maria Herczog, a child welfare advocate and member of the committee, argued that the boxes are a bad message for society, and that children may be abandoned by male relatives or pimps, against a mother’s wishes. “These boxes violate children’s rights and also the rights of parents to get help from the state to raise their families,” she says. Also, in the view of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, “all children have the right to know who their parents are, and their own identity.” Additionally, it is felt that the contactless surrender might contribute to a parent evading investigation for possibly having abused an infant.
What happens if a parent changes their mind? Can they request custody of their child after they surrendered them? Per the state law, such a parent must contact the County Human or Social Services Department in the county where they left the baby with a professional. Before the county can consider returning the baby, the mother must first prove that they are the baby’s parent, which can be proved by a genetic test. After that is established, steps must be taken by the county to ensure that the baby will be well cared for, and the county and the court must approve the return.
