The overview
The baby box program, administered by Safe Haven Baby Boxes, aims to assist mothers in crisis and prevent illegal newborn abandonment, according to the organization’s website. The program has numerous deposit locations around the country, providing opportunities for anonymous surrendering of infants.
Surrendered infants can be placed within a temperature-controlled deposit box, often called a baby box or baby hatch, which provides oxygen and features an external locking mechanism. Typically, these boxes are located at fire stations, and local police are automatically sent an alert when an infant is placed within the box, Mayor Pro Tem Gretchen Vance said.
While mothers are technically capable of placing their infants in the box anonymously and leaving, by law parents surrendering a child are required to approach a nearby worker at the station and hand their infant over face-to-face, Vance said.
The details
The baby box in Lakeway, which was originally put forward by Austin resident Brooke Waugh and will be installed at Pedernales Fire Station 802, will be the first of its kind in Central Texas, Vance said during a March 17 council meeting. Vance stated that the box could attract mothers in crisis outside of Lakeway.
“You could potentially get someone within hundreds of miles who’s seeking that box,” Vance said. “They suspect that people are crossing over into Oklahoma for some of the Oklahoma boxes."
Around 50 infants across the county have been surrendered to Baby Boxes since the program began in 2016, according to city documents. Costs associated with upkeep of these boxes are relatively low, Vance said, as they typically do not see daily use. Lakeway will contribute $800 to the program per year, with $300 covering alarm fees and $500 covering maintenance and functionality of the box.
Costs associated with installation of the box, estimated at $16,000, will be covered entirely by community donations, according to city documents.
What else?
The Safe Haven Baby Boxes program aims to increase awareness of U.S. Safe Haven laws, or Baby Moses laws, which allow parents to surrender infants to designated safe places like hospitals, fire stations or EMS stations without facing criminal charges.
According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, infants surrendered in Texas must be 60 days old or younger.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes also operates a 24-hour hotline for mothers in crisis, listed on the organization’s website.
