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Indiana considers installing 'baby boxes' for abandoned infants

If signed into law, the bill will fund the installation of 100 baby boxes at Safe Haven locations by July 2016.

By Brooks Hays

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Lawmakers in Indiana are considering a law that would call for the installation of so-called baby boxes at police stations, fire houses and hospitals around the state. The "newborn safety incubators" -- as the bill refers to the boxes -- would offer a place for parents to anonymously abandon their child, without fear of legal repercussions.

The bill doesn't augment any laws, as Indiana is already one of many states to allow parents to legally give up their newborns with complete confidentiality. But the boxes, supporters say, would remove the social shame that might see some desperate parents make more dangerous decisions.

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The initial legislation was passed 15 years ago. Under the Safe Haven Law, 13 newborns have been have been relinquished to the state. During the time, 33 babies were found illegally abandoned. Supporters of the new bill think the boxes could help reduce that number.

"It's probably not easy for a troubled young mother to come face to face with a police officer and hand that child over, unfortunately, making it too attractive for them to take some tragic course," Indiana State Representative Casey Cox, R-Fort Wayne, the bill's sponsor, told WISHTV.

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"We're giving these girls an option to not throw their children in the woods and not feel as if they're shamed," added Monica Kelsey, president of nonprofit support group Safe Haven Baby Boxes Indiana.

House Bill 1016 was passed by Indiana's House of Representatives on Tuesday, and now awaits a vote by the Senate. If signed into law, the bill will fund the installation of 100 baby boxes at Safe Haven locations by July 2016.

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