Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is proud to announce that the County’s Safe Surrender Program celebrated success for the second time in less than two weeks with the report of a safely surrendered newborn baby girl over the weekend. This most recent safe surrender occurred on October 25, 2014 at Los Angeles County Fire Station 136 in Palmdale. On October 17, a baby girl was safely surrendered at a hospital in Tarzana.
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. “Though we’ve been able to save the lives of 124 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 eleventh Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2014, and the 124th 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.