2 Places in Wisconsin It’s Legal to Surrender a Baby in a Box

It was 25 years ago that Texas passed the 'Baby Moses Law' which later became the Safe Haven Law after it was adopted by all 50 U.S. states in 2008.

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This decriminalized the act of safely surrendering an unharmed baby to become a ward of the state as an alternative to abortion or child abandonment, according to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. 

Where Are the Places to Safely Surrender a Baby?

Fire stations, Police stations, and hospitals are common locations considered 'Safe Havens' where it is legal to leave an infant and the law applies.

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In Illinois, the Abandoned Newborn Protection Act allows a baby who is 30 days old or younger to be legally handed to someone at a "safe haven" without any questions asked or information given.

Wisconsin Towns Will Now Have a Box Where You Can Surrender a Baby

Currently, 16 states in the United States have a drop-box that's available to legally surrender a newborn including Iowa, Indiana, and Ohio. The closest Baby Box to Illinois is just across the border in East Chicago, Indiana.

Now 2 communities in Wisconsin will install Baby Boxes by this Summer where a baby can be surrendered without having to give any information or explain why.

According to WSAW, there will be Baby Boxes located in Whitewater and Elkhorn, Wisconsin, both of which are located in Walworth County where a newborn baby boy was found dead in a field last March.

The Baby Boxes cost $15,000 and are temperature-controlled with a silent alarm. Once the door of the box has been opened, the alarm is sent to staff.