The Louisiana Safe Haven Law provides a safe alternative to parents who feel they have no alternative but to abandon or harm their infants. It allows for parents to safely give up custody of an infant up to 60 days old with no questions asked.
Click here to be directed to the Louisiana Safe Haven website.
HOW IT WORKS
- Go to the nearest Safe Haven facility (i.e. hospital, public health unit, fire or police station).
- Give the baby to an employee at the facility. Parents should tell the employee that they want to utilize the Safe Haven Law.
- An employee will offer the parent a card with a toll-free number, 1-888-510-BABY (2229), to call if the parent wants to give medical information about the baby or learn about their parental rights.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE BABY?
The baby will be brought to the nearest medical facility for a health assessment and to receive any necessary medical care.
The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) will find a family to care for the baby. DCFS will begin proceedings to obtain custody of the child and safely and legally place the baby in a permanent adoptive family.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PARENT?
As long as the baby shows no signs of abuse or neglect, the parent will be protected by the Safe Haven Law and will not be considered guilty of a criminal act of neglect, abandonment or child cruelty.
Parents do not have to give their name or other information. However, parents can call 1-888-510-BABY to learn about their parental rights after relinquishment or to anonymously provide medical information about the baby to be used for adoption purposes.
WHAT IF THE PARENT CHANGES HIS/HER MIND?
The parent can seek to reclaim parental rights within 30 days by contacting their local DCFS office.
THE FOLLOWING ARE DESIGNATED SAFE HAVENS:
- Licensed hospitals in Louisiana;
- Any manned fire station;
- Any manned police station;
- Public health units and Federally Qualified Health Centers during normal business hours;
- Any authorized Safe Haven box.
Safe Haven sites can be recognized by the official yellow and black Safe Haven logo displayed in a window or door.
If a parent is unable to travel to a Safe Haven facility, he or she may call 911, and a law enforcement officer or EMS provider will pick up the infant and transport the child to a hospital for a health assessment and to receive any necessary medical care.
HISTORY OF LOUISIANA’S SAFE HAVEN LAW:
The Louisiana Legislature amended the Children’s Code in 2000 to provide for the Safe Haven relinquishment of newborns. The code has since been amended several times to strengthen and expand the Safe Haven law. The entire Safe Haven Law can be found in the Louisiana Children’s Code Chapter 13, Articles 1149-1161.
—
Louisiana Right to Life is committed to protecting all life, whether inside the womb, after birth, or in the golden years. That commitment to all life is why we are promoting the Louisiana Safe Haven Law through newspaper ads, billboards and social media.
