Florida: Safe Haven Law - Health Channel

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Florida: Safe Haven Law |

According to the Florida Safe Haven Law, you can leave your baby, up to 7 days old, with an employee at any hospital, emergency medical services station or with a fire fighter at any fire station in the state.

Nick Silverio, Founder of A Safe Haven for Newborns, explains with this law the police will not be called, and the mother can remain anonymous. He says firefighters might ask medical questions to provide that information to the adoptive family, and the mom does not have to give her name or any information.

Transcript

Let’s go over the safe-haven law in Florida and break it down for our viewers because. I think it’s important to note too that many of us don’t know about this law or and wouldn’t know where to go if this was a scenario for her specific patient or a mother okay you can leave your baby up to seven days old with an employee at any hospital emergency medical service station or with a firefighter at any Fire Station in Florida but the baby must be approximately seven days old or less must be left with somebody cannot be left on the doorstep that’s what I was asking you off-camera so if let’s say someone comes in it’s not like in the movies that you see they leave them in a basket outside the hospital or outside the fire station that would be considered abandoned that’s that is abandonment yes okay you have to physically give the child to a person at the hospital at the fire station and a security guard correct yes and that’s the way it’s working okay and now one of the things I wanted to know if you bring a child into a hospital fire station at that point does that person call 9-1-1 or is it you know it’s okay you left them here the baby seven days or less and the police won’t be called no the police will not be called the mother can remain anonymous the hospital or firefighters might ask some medical questions too so we can provide that to the adoptive family when the when the baby’s adopted but the mom doesn’t have to give her name the mom doesn’t have to give any information she can get it she can leave so you can’t be charged with a crime I just want to not be charged not be charged for a crime whatsoever okay you.

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