Social Worker: Greater Safe Haven Law Awareness Needed in South Jersey

While the 22-year-old woman accused of murdering her newborn daughter by setting her on fire in the middle of a Pemberton road last week had the option of giving her daughter up anonymously, she may not have known New Jersey’s Safe Haven law exists.

According to Sarah Bruce, a social worker in Trenton who resides in Burlington County, there is more awareness concerning the existence of the law in the central and northern portions of the state than in the south.

The law states “the parents or someone acting on their behalf can bring a baby less than 30 days old to any hospital emergency room or police station. The New Jersey Department of Children and Families will take the infant into custody and place the infant with a foster or pre-adoptive home.” As long as there is no sign of intentional abuse, the person dropping off the baby can remain anonymous.

The baby remains in that home for 21 days before being permanently put up for adoption. If the mother who gave up her baby changes her mind during that time, she has the opportunity to get her baby back.

A mother dropping off a baby is also eligible for medical treatment, if she so chooses.

But Hyphernkemberly Dorvilier might not have known about the law when she allegedly killed her baby on Friday night.

“I’ve been a social worker in Trenton for 10 years and there’s just more awareness of it there,” Bruce said. “In areas like this, there seems to be a lack of knowledge.”

Bruce said it sometimes takes a tragedy like this to bring attention to the law. She was distributing literature on the Safe Haven law prior to Wednesday night’s sermon and candlelight vigil for Baby Angelica at United Methodist Church in Browns Mills.

A person dropping a baby off anonymously can still provide all known information about the baby, including health, age, place of birth and parents’ medical history, while remaining anonymous. No call is needed prior to dropping the baby off.

Should a woman voluntarily reveal her identity while dropping off the baby, authorities will then be required to search for the father or other relatives.

Texas was the first state to pass a law permitting a parent to give up an infant anonymously, in 1998. The law came to New Jersey in 2000.

The purpose of the law is to protect unwanted babies from being hurt or killed due to abandonment.

According to njsafehaven.org, there has been a 60 percent reduction in the number of abandoned babies in the time since the law was passed than the 12 months prior to the passage of the law.

Bruce also provided informative materials on how to become a foster parent.

“There are so many couples out there struggling to have a child who would adopt an unwanted baby,” Bruce said. “We just need to raise awareness.”

For more on the law, click here.

To speak with someone directly, call 1-877-839-2339.

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