Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is proud to announce that the County’s Safe Surrender Program celebrated success for the second time this week and 12th time this year with the report of a safely surrendered newborn baby boy. This most recent Safe Surrender occurred this morning, September 16, 2015, at a fire station in Lancaster. A baby girl was also safely surrendered on September 11, 2015 at a hospital in Long Beach.
As is standard practice, the newborn is in protective custody and will be placed with a family approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.
“I am thrilled to hear that, in less than a week, two babies have been given a second chance at life and the opportunity to grow up in a loving family thanks to the Safe Surrender program,” said Supervisor Knabe. “Safe Surrender, an idea born from tragedy, has grown into a truly life-saving, and life-giving program. Though we’ve been able to save the lives of 136 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 12th Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2015, and the 136th since the program began 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.