It is for this reason I want to publicly endorse a bill which will likely soon be signed into law by Governor Matt Bevin known as the Kentucky Safe Infants Act. The new law will be an expansion of a 2002 law which, according to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services website:
The Kentucky Safe Infants Act allows parents to leave babies younger than three days old at a safe place. No one will call the police, and no one will ask for your name.The expanded law extends the time frame a new parent can leave infants at certain locations from three to thirty days and adds churches to those locations. Currently, new parents can leave their child at EMS stations, fire stations, police stations, and hospitals. Once this bill is signed into law, they can knock on the door of a qualified local church and surrender custody of their child.
So if you are pregnant and feel that you can't keep your baby, don't leave the baby in a dangerous situation. There is help!
If you leave your baby in a safe place, the baby will get medical care and be placed with a family for adoption. If you do not contact the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services within 30 days after leaving your baby in a safe place, the cabinet will begin the process of ending your parental rights.
Such a law, I believe, is pro-life as it, hopefully, deters abortions. If a mother feels she cannot, for whatever reason, raise a child, the temptation to end a pregnancy is great. This expanded law now gives a new mother 30 days after giving birth and allows qualified churches to serve as Safe Haven locations.
As a pro-life minister of a local church, I celebrate this expansion. The local church ought to be safe place for infants, mothers, families, and anyone - anyone - struggling in our fallen world. We are all broken and thus need the hope found exclusively in the gospel. As a Christian, adopted by the Father into the family of God, I believe adoption to be a better option than abortion and this new expansion reflects that.
I am wanting to challenge East Frankfort Baptist Church to seriously consider becoming a Safe Haven location. This opportunity does require several things from us. First, we must promote ourselves as a Safe Haven location. This, to my understanding, would involve signage informing new mother's that East Frankfort Baptist Church is a safe place for them. Secondly, we would need to set certain hours for these mothers. These hours are not set yet, but we currently have two staff members (myself included) here every morning. If, for some reason, either of us are not able to be here during the agreed-to time, we would need a member to temporary be available in case a mother gives up custody of her newborn.
According to WDRB, "Since Kentucky's original Safe Haven law passed in 2002, 38 infants have been legally left behind." That means that in its fourteen year history, an average of 2.7 mother's gave up custody of their children at Safe Have locations per year. Whether this number will remain the same going forward remains to be seen, but when given the opportunity to protect the innocent and serve our community, we unquestionably should. The gospel is not merely a message we receive and keep to ourselves. It changes who we are and propels us into our community. This new law invites churches like ours to impact our community for the better. It is pro-life, pro-baby, pro-mother, and pro-gospel. It is my hope that we as a church will take advantage of this ministry opportunity.
Links:
WDRB - Lawmakers add churches to Kentucky Safe Haven Law
KY.gov - Kentucky Safe Infants Act
Baby Safe Haven Website
Sadly there will be 100 deadly newborn abandonments across the country in any 18 month period you choose, from recent start date to 18 months out.
ReplyDeleteThat's 100 dead newborns!
What is the response of the major safe haven awareness campaigns across the country? You're seeing exactly what they do in this article. The same exact response to deadly newborn abandonments took place just weeks ago in Illinois. Same in Indiana, New Jersey, Michigan, South Carolina, and most of those states these where deadly abandonments happened multiple times in the last six to twelve months. California has 5 or more abandonments per year. They have multiple funerals, and a dedication of a park to the safe haven children by a 70 year old county supervisor.
Where isn't this endless set of senseless tragedies taking place? Massachusetts. We've had only one deadly newborn abandonment in the last 9 years! 4 out of the last 5 calendar years have had zero newborn abandonments!
What is Massachusetts doing to stop 90% of newborn abandonments? That's right we've stopped 90% of newborn abandonments!!
We use standard demographic marketing of our Baby Safe Haven law!! It's teen and 20 year olds that use the laws, and they are the ONLY ones you see out in the media promoting Baby Safe Haven in Massachusetts!
NEVER do you see a 50+ year old official using a shaming message against Generation Y or Z. It's peers helping peers in crisis. AND IT WORKS!!
We NEVER use safely surrendered babies or children to mock teens who are in crisis and need to make tough decisions.
All the states who use the old advocates, old so-called "experts," old officials and old politicians to exclusively promote their laws have the HIGHEST numbers of newborn abandonments!
And every single one of those states does this exact same strategy again and again when another deadly newborn abandonment takes place. It's insane!
They all know that Massachusetts has stopped 90% of these tragedies, but they refuse to follow a program that puts teens and 20 somethings out in front of the press every single time. The old officials, and so-called experts, see their face time as more important over the death of the next newborn. And there will be another deadly newborn abandonment again, sometimes in just weeks, because they can't communicate with Gen Y & Z. It's insane!!
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Introducing just a few of the young people who will inform their peers across the country following our Massachusetts model.
The originator of the MA campaign with over 100 media coverages for Baby Safe Haven: http://youtu.be/k3dn_DPodPw & http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/1750474/boston_s_view_singer_renee_marcou & http://youtu.be/sPl0NOyV4ro & http://www.wickedlocal.com/article/20080921/News/309219734 & http://youtu.be/xAC9QMw27v4
Just the facts, Mike. Why is Baby Safe Haven-New England no longer incorporated? Why is it no longer a member of the National Safe Haven Alliance? How, with no incorporation status, does do you fund your "youth campaign?"
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