Despite Triumphs, Baby Safe Haven Faces Resistance

It has been nearly seven years since the passage of the Safe Haven Act of Massachusetts- allowing parents to surrender an infant up to seven days old to a hospital, fire station or police station without being prosecuted- made Massachusetts the 47^th state with safe haven laws.

However, the fight to implement the Safe Haven Act began three years earlier in 2001, when an abandoned infant was found dead in a cemetery in Dorchester.

It was the thought that if safe haven laws had existed in Massachusetts, whomever abandoned that infant might have chosen to leave the child in safe hands that prompted Jean and Mike Morrisey of Marlborough— founders of Baby Safe Haven New England— to prevent such abandonments in the future.

Doubtlessly thanks in part to Baby Safe Haven's undeniable visibility—from catchy jingles to fluorescent signs identifying nearby safe havens— there have been no deadly abandonments in Massachusetts since the law's passage. By comparison, between the proposal of the law in 2001 and its passage in 2004, there were 13 abandonments in the Commonwealth.

“We're generating communication between young people,” said Mike Morrisey, of Baby Safe Haven New England's approach to marketing.

“Awareness is key, and we've found that peer-to-peer communication is more effective than authoritarian communication,” he said.

Morrisey has faced resistance every step of the way, but believes that the next 12-15 months will be the most difficult in the group's history. The next hurdle comes in rallying support for an addendum to the law that will extend safe haven status in Massachusetts to 911 Responders, who could more easily access those who may have limited access to vehicles, particularly young people who may not legally be able to drive. New Hampshire and Vermont currently count 911 Responders among their available safe havens.

Here in Marlborough, representative Stephen Levy is sponsoring a bill to add the addendum. Morrisey hopes that by having uniform safe haven laws across New England, the region can become a model for the rest of the nation.

“Once all of the laws are the same in New England, we can push across the country,” Morrisey said. “It's all about bringing information to young people.”

For more information about Baby Safe Haven New England, visit their website.

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