Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe renewed his opposition for the third time to new legislation by Assemblyman Alberto Torrico (D-Fremont) that will fundamentally alter the rules of the highly-successful Safe Haven Law.

Under the proposed legislation, AB 2262 will extend the newborn surrender period to 7 days. Currently, the program allows mothers of unwanted newborns to surrender their babies at Safe Surrender sites, such as Fire Stations and Hospitals, up to 72 hours after the child’s birth. Access to quality medical care in the first hours of life is a critical component that could be placed in jeopardy if this legislation passes. Many infants who are safely surrendered have received no prenatal care or medical care at all – services that are critical for these newborns to receive in the first hours after birth. Extensive research has shown that the 72 hour window works.

A similar bill was also introduced during the two most recent Legislative sessions. Last year, AB 81 would have extended the window to 7 days. It was later vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger. The first attempt, AB 1873, was also vetoed by the Governor in 2006.

This was an unnecessary bill the first two times, and it remains unnecessary, said Supervisor Knabe, who championed the Safe Surrender Program, the Los Angeles County version of the Safe Haven Program, over six years ago. There is no data showing that an extension to the 7 days proposed in Assemblyman Torrico’s legislation would improve this successful program, and we cannot allow an arbitrary number with no scientific basis to compromise the safety of these babies. The only window that has irrefutable evidence is the 72 hours, and changing it is a risk that we simply cannot afford. I vow to fight this bill every step along the way.

Los Angeles County has been at the forefront of implementing the Safe Haven Law. Since its enactment in 2002, 65 babies have been safely surrendered in Los Angeles County – more than one-third of all the newborns saved in California.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is pleased to announce the County’s Safe Surrender Program celebrated success again with the report of another safely surrendered newborn. This most recent report of a safe surrender occurred at a hospital in the City of Huntington Park.

The newborn Hispanic male was surrendered on Tuesday, January 15 and is reported to be in good health. Reportedly, the infant’s mother gave birth on January 13 at another hospital and she considered voluntary relinquishment. However, the infant’s mother changed her mind and took her baby home. Later that day, the mother brought the infant to the urgent care in Huntington Park and asked to safely surrender the infant.

Although the surrender occurred on Tuesday, the confirmation was just received today. It is normal for surrenders to take several days to be verified under the rules of the program. As is standard practice, the baby boy 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 second Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2008, and the 64th 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.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe offered his thanks to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today for vetoing a bill that would have placed the success of the statewide Safe Haven Law in

jeopardy.

Under the proposed legislation, Assembly Bill 81, the Safe Haven window would have been extended to seven days from its current 72 hours. Currently, the program allows mothers of unwanted newborns to surrender their babies at Safe Surrender sites, such as Fire Stations and Hospitals, up to 3 days after the child’s birth. The person who surrenders the newborn is protected from prosecution, No Shame, No Blame and No Names.

This is the second consecutive year the Governor has vetoed similar legislation. A similar version in last year’s legislative session proposed extending the window from 72 hours to 30 days.

"While on the surface it may seem that a longer surrender window is better for newborns, extensive research and statistics show the danger zone for these babies is within the first hours of life. Extending the window from 72 hours to seven days could have created serious medical issues" said Supervisor Knabe, who championed the formation of Safe Surrender, the Los Angeles County version of the Safe Haven Program, over six years ago.

"Access to quality medical care in the first hours of life is an absolutely critical component that could have been placed in jeopardy had this legislation gone through," said Knabe. "Many infants who are safely surrendered have received no prenatal care or medical care at all – services that are critical for these newborns to receive in the first hours after birth. That is a risk we simply cannot afford and we appreciate the Governor’s veto."

Los Angeles County has been at the forefront of implementing the Safe Haven Law. Since its enactment in 2001, 61 babies have been safely surrendered in Los Angeles County.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is pleased to announce that a baby girl was safely surrendered in Valencia last week.

The newborn Caucasian female was surrendered at Henry Mayo Hospital on Tuesday, September 4 and is reported to be in good health. As is standard practice, the baby girl is in protective custody and will eventually be placed with a family approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.

I want to thank this newborn’s mother for doing the right thing, said Knabe. We have a law on the books to protect babies from abandonment and give the mother a safe, secure and anonymous way to get her child into safe hands.

This is the thirteenth Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2007 and the sixtieth Safe Surrender since the program began six 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.