Nebraska passes altered 'safe haven' law

LINCOLN , Neb., Aug. 15 (UPI) -- A parent may legally surrender an unwanted child up to 19 years of age in Nebraska, the state's altered form of the so-called "safe haven" law says.

While Nebraska officially became the last U.S. state to enact the child-protection law last month, state officials altered its wording to include minors of any age, Stateline.org reported Friday.

Before the non-partisan Nebraska Legislature passed the altered form of the popular law on July 18, the oldest "safe haven" age limit in a U.S. state was one year in North Dakota.

That meant that an individual could legally leave a child who was no more than a year old at a hospital without facing possible prosecution.

Nebraska dramatically increased that maximum age, stating that a child includes individuals up to 19 years old.

Nebraska Sen. Pete Pirsch downplayed the increased age to Stateline.org, a Web site specializing in state-issues, saying children's safety outweighed any potential "inconvenient circumstances."

"In my opinion, the need to pass a safe haven bill outweighed the need for perfect language," Pirsch said. "The risk to babies' lives far outweighed the possibility of a few inconvenient circumstances with older children."