TAMPA, Florida –
Nikki Daniels, associate director of the group Champions for Children, is deeply affected by the dangerous abandonment of newborns.
Daniels is optimistic that HB 775, a recent bill, will be beneficial.
“Every single child we can keep safe from abuse matters, in my opinion,” she remarked.
As of last week, the Safe Haven law in Florida was enlarged.
Infants under 30 days of age may be turned in to any hospital, fire department, or emergency medical service that employs full-time personnel.
Parents were given just seven days to make that choice under the prior version of the law.
“New parents, in their first seven days of parenting, don’t even know which way is up, according to parents I’ve spoken to. It would be quite difficult to make that judgment in just seven days, Daniels added.
SEE MORE –
5 Washington Night-time Traffic Laws That Will Help You Save Time
Giving someone the entire 30 days to reflect and come to the realization, “You know what, I just can’t do this,” I don’t want to deal with all of the difficulty that comes with adoption and similar situations. It allows parents more time to decide, “Let me just take my baby where I know they’re going to be safe and taken care of.”
In addition, the new regulation permits parents who don’t have access to transportation to turn in their kids by dialing 911.
Daniels, for one, expects that the new law will result in fewer cases of child abuse and dangerous abandonment, but she wishes more parents would seek assistance from NGOs like hers before giving up.
“Even if it only lowers one or two per year, that one youngster will benefit more from it. Therefore, she remarked, “I think it’s worthwhile to do whatever we can to reduce child abuse, no matter how much of it there is.”
A state review shows that 380 infants have been turned into a haven in Florida since 2000. During the same period, sixty-three infants were dangerously abandoned. Thirty-two of the 63 passed away.
At 1-877-767-2229, you may reach Safe Haven for Newborns around the clock.
“If this continues the way that it is going, then you’re going to have a lot of businesses close down”
Businesses in the area are working to amend a contentious municipal law in the City of Dunedin.
