Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is proud to announce that the County’s Safe Surrender Program celebrated success for the sixth time this year and second time this month with the report of a safely surrendered newborn baby girl over the weekend. This most recent Safe Surrender occurred on May 8, 2015 at a hospital in Los Angeles. A baby girl was safely surrendered at a hospital in Lynwood on May 2.
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 these mothers bravely made the better choice for their baby girls—No shame. No blame. No names,” said Supervisor Knabe. “Though we’ve been able to save the lives of 130 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 sixth Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2015, and the 130th since the program began nearly 14 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.