Fortunately, a girl or woman who might take extreme measures to get rid of her newborn baby might exhibit some subtle warning signs. Here are a few possibilities. She could be:
- in denial about her pregnancy,
- hiding her pregnancy,
- isolating herself from friends and family, and/or
- likely still living at home.
You might be able to help by stirring conversation about safe haven laws. For example, you could write letters to your school board asking them to post fliers in the middle schools and high schools. Or, you could write your local newspaper and ask them to run a feature on safe haven laws. Another option might be to ask your local television or radio station to spotlight this issue. Education is key and the more girls know about safe haven laws, the less likely newborn babies will be left to die. Of course, ideally, it should be a last resort, but it could be an option. The mother may not even have to be the person to surrender her baby to the safe haven facility. She might be able to designate someone to do it for her.
Above all, just know that there is no shame and there are no names.
Below are links to each state’s safe haven law.
