A newborn boy has been surrendered at a Downey hospital as part of the Safe Surrender program, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe announced today.

The baby boy was safely surrendered yesterday at Downey Regional Medical Center. The baby was healthy and has been initially identified as Hispanic or Caucasian. This incident is the fifth Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2006 and the 41st since the program went into effect.

The Safe Surrender Program in Los Angeles County was initiated by Supervisor Knabe and approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors in June of 2002. It allows someone to surrender an infant that is no more than three days old, as long as the infant shows no signs of abuse.

The first year the program went into effect, no surrenders were reported in Los Angeles County. That same year, 11 newborns were discovered abandoned and deceased. By 2005, the number of Safe Surrenders climbed to 8 cases and the number of abandoned deceased infants dropped to 4.

This case could have ended in tragedy, but because of the Safe Surrender program, this baby boy has a long life ahead of him, said Supervisor Knabe. I am happy this mother made the right choice for her baby.