Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is pleased to announce the County’s Safe Surrender Program celebrated success for the eighth time this year with the report of a safely surrendered newborn baby girl. This most recent safe surrender occurred on July 6, 2014 at a hospital in Lynwood.
As is standard practice, the newborn is in protective custody and will be placed with families approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.
“It’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to give up a child, but this mother bravely made the better choice for her baby girl—No shame. No blame. No names,” said Supervisor Knabe. “Thanks to the Safe Surrender program, this little girl has been blessed with the gift of life and now has the opportunity to grow up as part of a loving family. Though we’ve been able to save the lives of 121 babies so far, we need to continue spreading the word that there is a safe, secure and anonymous way for mothers, who find themselves in a desperate situation, to get their baby into safe hands—at any fire station or hospital, any time—and protect them from abandonment. ”
This is the eighth Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2014, and the 121st since the program began nearly 13 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.
To learn more about the Safe Surrender Program, visit BabySafeLA.org.