You might be familiar with the phrase “nothing is more precious than life.” It truly is a gift to be able to grow up, learn, make something of ourselves, and eventually grow old. But we must remember that this gift is only given to us by our parents, who sometimes go through the most difficult choices whilst trying to sort out their own lives.
Parenthood or the news of pregnancy is not a joyful moment for some, especially when it is unplanned, unprepared for, or forced upon someone without consent. Further choices become critical, not to one life, but multiple. and the impact on potential futures cannot be understated. But what are the options available for those unprepared or incapable to care for their children?
This is a story of one person’s kindness that will potentially save dozens of lives in the years to come. It is an inspiration to us all, a light in this heavy topic. But what we shall look at are the broader issues: why are babies being abandoned, what can we do to help, and how can we become part of the silver lining in all of this? Let’s get into it!
More info: Safe Haven Baby Boxes
Safe Haven Baby Boxes—a nonprofit organization aimed at helping mothers in need
Image credits: Safe Haven Baby Boxes
Safe Haven Baby Boxes is a nonprofit organization founded by Monica Kelsey, is meant to prevent the abandonment of newborns by giving desperate mothers a place to safely leave their children without having to be seen. They also install safety drawers, which work similarly to the boxes, and run a 24-hour hotline for mothers in crisis. The nonprofit says there have been no dead abandoned infants in Indiana since the state’s first box was installed in 2016.
Hunter Wart worked tirelessly for a year to raise money for a baby box
Image credits: Safe Haven Baby Boxes
Hunter Wart was a 19-year-old teen at the time when he spent over a year trying to raise enough money for a baby drop-off box. As reported by CNN, Hunter was a junior at Columbus North High School, Indiana, when he decided to raise $10,000 for a Safe Haven Baby Box as a part of his senior project. His mother revealed that it was a lot of hard work. He was mowing lawns and scrapping metal for months, and his hard work finally paid off when the Safe Haven Baby Box was installed for the Seymour Fire Department.
Soon after its installation, a baby girl was left inside
Image credits: Safe Haven Baby Boxes
Not too long after its installation, a newborn was left inside. A healthy baby girl, estimated to be an hour old at time of dropoff, was safely surrendered in the box, immediately alerting firefighters to the infant's presence. Chief Brad Lucas told CNN how ecstatic they were that the box was used, how “it worked perfectly, exactly how it was designed.” He continued to say that this was the choice they wanted to provide the mothers, and the opportunity to provide a future for the children.
Firefighters took care of the girl until an ambulance arrived to take her to the hospital
Image credits: Safe Haven Baby Boxes
The firefighters immediately provided care to the infant until an ambulance could take her to a hospital. Officials revealed that the baby girl was to be in custody of state child services workers once she was released from the hospital.
Mayor Matt Nicholson, who also got the news about the baby that Thursday afternoon in January 2020, said all he could do was smile and shed a tear thinking about the fact that somebody did exactly what they needed to do and didn't leave their baby in a worse situation.
He said: “it's a lifetime of difference in my mind. This child has a chance to go out and grow up and be a part of the world with a caring family.” Both the Chief and Mayor commended the unidentified mother for making the right choice and leaving the child in the Safe Haven Baby Box rather than abandoning her in unsafe conditions.
Hunter, praised for his hard work, asks for the girl to be named "Baby Mia"
Image credits: CNN
Hunter was honored for his hard work at a press conference and presented him with a lapel pin as a token of appreciation. The teenager asked for one thing in return—to name the saved infant Baby Mia. She's been referred to as "Baby Mia" in news reports ever since. Hunter is hopeful that one day she will see the story of how she was safely surrendered in the Safe Haven Baby Box he raised money for and will find him online.
Monica Kelsey, founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, states that the initiative has helped prevent unnecessary deaths
Image credits: Safe Haven Baby Boxes
The founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, who was abandoned as an infant herself, said around two to three abandoned babies died every year in Indiana before the initiative was launched.
According to Monica, the state has had no abandoned babies die since then. She told CNN, "these babies were left in trash cans and dumpsters. One was left at the door of a hospital. That baby had frozen to death before he was found.” But she hopes that Baby Mia is going to grow up knowing how much her birth mom loved her.
At the point of writing this article, there have been 15 babies surrendered to Baby Boxes, and nationwide, over 100 surrenders have resulted from calls to the Safe Haven Baby Boxes national hotline.
Let's look at the bigger picture: why these boxes are needed in the first place
Image credits: Safe Haven Baby Boxes
As heartwarming this story is, we must look at the bigger picture around infant abandonment, as it is as much about reproductive rights, sex education, and socio-economic concerns.
According to KFF, or Kaiser Family Foundation, The United States prohibits federal funding of abortions in most cases and “in many states hundreds of thousands of women seeking abortion services annually are left without coverage options—even when they are victims of rape or incest or if the pregnancy is determined to be a threat to their health.” Hence, abortions have long been out of reach for many low-income women, yet the costs of having the child might be even more difficult to come up with.
As men prepare spaces for new baby boxes, there are those that protest them
Image credits: Safe Haven Baby Boxes
Let alone, the stigma surrounding abortions as a whole and even the negative connotations surrounding Baby Boxes.
According to BBC, fathers' rights groups say they allow only one parent to make the decision. And the UN has opposed their use in other parts of the world, calling for countries to offer more family planning and other support to address the root causes of abandonments, such as poverty, instead.
Those are fair points, but we can’t overlook the psychological and social aspects that drive neonaticide—the deliberate act of a parent murdering their own child during the first 24 hours of life.
Psychological and social aspects that drive neonaticide: "a sad irony"
Image credits: Safe Haven Baby Boxes
Cheryl Meyer, an associate dean of the Wright State School of Professional Psychology in Ohio, interviewed women in prison for neonaticide and asked them why they didn't have an abortion, and many said it was because they didn't believe in it. "There is a sad irony there," Cheryl adds.
However, if we look at what psychiatrists say, it is a well-recognized phenomenon that people disconnect and dissociate with anything traumatic. According to Dr. Shabehram Lohrasbe, there are cases where people give birth to fully developed infants and had no idea they were pregnant. She states that when we are under enormous stress, even if we don’t have an overt mental disorder, we tend to have odd lapses in judgment.
We can support Safe Haven Baby Boxes and their mission through volunteering and donations
Image credits: Safe Haven Baby Boxes
Regardless of the negativity, the facts are plain as day: Baby Boxes help save the lives that would otherwise be abandoned in potentially unsafe conditions.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes says its team is working with schools and youth groups to spread awareness, so that young women know their options if they ever find themselves in this unyielding situation.
We can all make a difference but compassion is key
Image credits: Safe Haven Baby Boxes
It seems obvious that more needs to be done to prevent an unwanted birth from happening in the first place, and having safe, legal abortion and contraception options available to all women has been a major step to helping the situation.
The reality of the situation is more complex than it first meets the eye, but we need to build a shared understanding and compassion for it if we ever want the situation to improve. Just like Hunter, we can all make a difference if we believe that there is nothing more.
People are commenting their feelings on the story, most feeling sadness for both the babies and the mothers
Others are angry and are questioning anti-abortion groups
Finally, we can agree that the baby boxes are here to stay as a no-shame option for all women
