Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe announced today that a baby was safely surrendered in at a hospital in Woodland Hills on Friday, February 29.
The newborn Hispanic female was born full tem and is in good health. Although the surrender occurred on Friday, it is normal for surrenders to take several days to be verified under the rules of the program. As is standard practice, the baby girl is in protective custody and will be placed with a family approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.
This is the fourth Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2008, and the 66th since the program began seven years ago. The program was initiated by Supervisor Knabe and approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors in 2001. 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.
Another mother has done the right thing and saved her baby’s life, said Supervisor Knabe. There is no reason to abandon a child since we have a law that allows a mother to anonymously get her baby into safe hands with no questions asked.