Attorney General Steve Six and the Kansas State Child Death Review Board Promote Kansas’ Safe Haven Law
Septmeber 8, 2009 -- Attorney General Steve Six, along with the Kansas Child Death Review Board, is raising awareness of the Kansas Newborn Infant Protection Act.
Recently the Attorney General’s Office has handled several cases involving new mothers who killed their newborns. In one such case, a woman was convicted of killing her newborn son shortly after his birth in 2008. Other cases are ongoing.
Many times the circumstances are similar:
- The woman is facing an unplanned pregnancy.
- She hides the pregnancy from her friends and family.
- She intentionally delivers the baby at home or somewhere away from medical attention.
“Prosecuting these tragic acts is required, but working to prevent these tragedies is critical,” Six said. “Women and their families and friends should be aware of the Kansas Newborn Infant Protection Act.”
The purpose of this law, commonly referred to as the safe haven law, is to ensure unwanted infants are left with persons who can provide the immediate care needed for their safety and well-being.
The Kansas Newborn Infant Protection Act (K.S.A. 38-2282) became law in January 2007. The law allows a parent—or other person having lawful custody—to surrender the infant to any employee who is on duty at a fire station, city or county health department, or medical care facility. The infant must be 45 days or younger.
In addition, K.S.A. 21-3604 (b) protects parents or other persons having lawful custody of the infant from prosecution for abandonment of a child, if they surrender custody in the manner provided by K.S.A 38-2282, and if such infant has not suffered bodily harm.
Health care professional working with women in crisis pregnancies are encouraged to share the guidelines of the Newborn Infant Protection Act as an option to keep infants safe.
The SCDRB is a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency board that examines the circumstances surrounding the deaths of all Kansas children (birth through 17 years-of-age) and children who are not Kansas residents, but who die in the state. The goals of the SCDRB are to describe the trends and patterns of child deaths in Kansas, to develop prevention strategies, and to improve sources of data and communication among agencies. The Board works toward lowering child deaths in Kansas through research, education, and legislation.
For additional information, visit the SCDRB website at http://www.ksag.org/Divisions/SCDRB ,or contact Angela Nordhus, Executive Director, at (785) 296-7970.