(LibertySociety.com) – Missouri is now the home of the 157th Safe Haven Baby Box, located in St. Louis County’s city of Mehlville. Although Missouri has been a safe haven state for over twenty years, mothers who wished to surrender a baby were required to do so in the presence of another person. Missouri state representative Jim Murphy, who advocated for the installation of the box, said that the state’s safe haven status was largely unknown. He said that the addition of the box will lower cases of infant abandonment. Missouri is the twelfth state in the country to install a Safe Haven Baby Box.
The founder of the organization, Monica Kelsey, was abandoned as a newborn. She said while it was painful to learn that she was an abandoned baby, she asked herself, “What can I do to make it better for others?” She knew that she could not change what happened to her, but that she could change the lives of others with the incubation boxes. The Missouri Safe Haven Box is located at the Mehlville Fire Protection District 2. The box is equipped with two silent alarms, one that goes off when the box is opened, and another that goes off when the baby is placed in the box. Once the box is closed, it locks to prevent it from being reopened. The baby is then taken to a hospital for evaluation and will be adopted less than two months later.
The fire department made the announcement on August 9, assuring Missourians that “everybody inside that building is understanding.” They expressed their excitement for the life-saving service, thanking local businesses for their assistance in the installation process. They thanked Robert Gau for purchasing the box, along with Rep. Murphy and Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe for their support. Missouri’s last remaining abortion clinic stopped providing abortions in 2022 after Roe v. Wade was overturned, as a trigger law immediately took effect that banned all abortions in the state. The Safe Haven Baby Box could potentially be an alternative for women who may otherwise seek an out-of-state abortion.
Copyright 2023, LibertySociety.com
