PREGNANT OR NEW AND UNPREPARED MOMS HAVE SAFE OPTIONS
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PREGNANT OR NEW AND UNPREPARED MOMS HAVE SAFE OPTIONS
LMC aims to build awareness of Baby Safe Haven Law
February 8, 2011, Brooklyn, New York…Lutheran Medical Center is appealing to community and other area hospitals to help build awareness for the Baby Safe Haven Law, meant to protect not only the baby, but the mother as well.
The Baby Safe Haven Law is meant to help the baby and the mother by providing total secrecy if a mother delivers her baby (aged 5 days or less) into safe hands at a local Brooklyn hospital emergency room or to any firehouse in the event they do not want to continue caring for their infant. A list of locations and more information on Brooklyn's Baby Safe Haven Law can be found on the Brooklyn DA's Web page located at http://www.brooklynda.org/baby_safe_haven/baby_safe_haven.htm.
The hospital or firehouse will provide a safe place for the baby, giving it medical care and personal attention, and the mother's identity will be protected. The mother will only be asked some basic questions about the baby's health and her secret will be protected.
The Baby Safe Haven Law was developed as a result the Abandoned Infant Protection Law that has been in place in N.Y.S. since July 2000. This law provides protection for any mother to safely leave her infant (within the first 5 days of life) in the care of a responsible person at a hospital, police station or fire station with no legal repercussions. This is solely intended to protect the mother's desire for anonymity and to ensure a healthy outcome for the newborn.
In 2001, Diane Konsechusky, Lutheran Medical Center's AVP for Women and Children's Services, accepted Brooklyn's first safe haven baby brought to the hospital under the new law. The baby was adopted and the mother's desire for anonymity was respected and protected. The staff at Lutheran were able to do what we do best: partner with our community to help ensure the health and well being of every citizen in our neighborhood, no matter how small or fragile.
For more news follow Lutheran HealthCare on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn:
Twitter - http://twitter.com/LutheranHC
Facebook - http://facebook.com/LutheranHealthCare
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/LutheranHealthcare
LinkedIn - http://tinyurl.com/mycsas
« Back to Press Release Archive
