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Community Corner

NJ Safe Haven Law

Safe Haven Just a few days ago a Queens Mom (I hesitate to use this term of endearment here) was arrested for shoplifting in a Manhattan Victoria's Secret store. What the officers found in addition to stolen clothing was a dead, 8 and one half pound baby boy. At first the reporting of this story was claiming it was a "fetus". As if walking around with a "fetus" was somehow different than having a dead baby, your dead baby, in your bag. An autopsy revealed that this beautiful baby boy was born alive. I can't even imagine what was going through this woman's head. She was already the mother of a two year old. The only reason I'm writing this letter is to remind your readers of the NJ SAFE HAVEN LAW. How does it work? A distressed parent who is unable to care for an infant can give up custody of a baby less than 30 days old safely, legally and anonymously. All that is required is that the baby be brought to a hospital emergency room or police station in New Jersey. As long as the child shows no signs of intentional abuse, no name or other information is required. Please share this information with any young woman you know that may now or sometime in the future ever make the mistake of thinking there was NO alternative to killing her own child.

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