This morning I read with interest a story in the news about Nebraska's Safe Haven Law. This law, also found in many other states, was put into effect to help prevent the abandoning of new born infants. The mother after giving birth and unable to care for, or not wanting the child, could walk into a hospital and drop their infant off with no questions asked. I am sure this law has saved many babies lives across the country. It lifts a burden from a mother that might be unwed, unemployed,or unable to cope with the demands of a baby.
Most states limit the amount of time a mother can drop off the newborn infant, some only give the mother 72 hours. Some states give the mother a month, and some states have set the limit to one year of age. Nebraska's Safe Haven law doesn't specifically have any age limitations set. The past week and a half, area hospitals have found themselves with a bit of a quandary. Two young teenagers and one pre-teen were dropped off at local hospitals by their parents, and last night a father walked into an Omaha hospital and left all NINE of his children, raging in age from 1 year to 17 years old.
I have to admit that one of the first things that ran thru my mind, is that they should have insisted on the stipulation that the father get a vasectomy upon leaving all of his kids. Nine kids....wow...I had to wonder on how a parent could just one day decide to give up nine kids. There was no details given in the case, and I tried to think of every scenario.... An illegal immigrant? A homeless or soon to be homeless man? Has the economy gotten just that bad that raising nine kids is impossible on your own? Was the father baby-sitting and they got on his last nerve?....and where is the mom?
A sad story, and out of those nine kids my thoughts seemed to dwell the most on the 17 year old. Seventeen is almost an adult, but not quite. I couldn't think of why give up the 17 year old kid? At seventeen, they are self sufficient, or on their way to being self sufficient. Was the teenager rebellious? Into drugs? Running with the wrong crowd? At 17 you aren't going to be the first kid to be adopted. One more year and then the teen will most likely be out on their own. Not the greatest start in their adult life. No one has to worry about babies though, everyone wants to adopt babies. But at 17 you should be in your senior year in high school, thinking about graduation and college, senior prom, class rings, and your biggest worry should be about having a pop quiz in history class. The economy is tough right now, for a 17 year old with nothing and no family to fall back on for support, emotional and otherwise, is daunting... I felt bad for the kid...
I know Nebraska's Safe Haven law will be getting an overhaul after this last case. Limits will most likely be set, and older children won't probably be included. I have mixed feelings over it. If it keeps a kid off the streets, or prevents the abuse of a child, who cares about limits? At the same time, I know that given the option, most parents will be tempted to drop off their kids at local hospitals the moment they turn into those sullen, backtalking, disrespectful, hormonal imbalanced teen-age semi-adults. Here take my kid, he/she is driving me nuts.
A safe haven... everyone should have one. A place to go when there is no where else to turn. The economy gets any worse and I may turn myself in... afterall, I haven't really grown up that much....
