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[BarTopDancer]

I'm thinking it's related to safe haven abandonment laws where you can leave a newborn (or is it up to 3 days old) at a hospital, police station or fire station with no repercussions. And maybe anti-prop 4 (I think) that requires parental notification for minors to have an abortion.

In other news, don't accept a friend request from bin Laden. Twitter can be used for terrorist activities.

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by BarTopDancer

I'm thinking it's related to safe haven abandonment laws where you can leave a newborn (or is it up to 3 days old) at a hospital, police station or fire station with no repercussions.

If a three-day-old baby is not considered a newborn, then what is the cut-off time-frame?

But your assumption is correct: the safe haven laws allow up to three days after birth to drop off with no repercussions to the mother (at least in California - I don't know the laws in other states).

While researching this detail, I ran across some interesting facts from the State of California on the Safe Haven law:

Background

• The Safely Surrendered Baby Law (SSB) was implemented on January 1, 2001. In October 2005, Governor Schwarzenegger signed legislation extending the SSB Law permanently, effective January 1, 2006.

Statewide Statistics

• As of June 30, 2008, 251 newborns have been safely surrendered in California while another 149 infants have been found alive following their illegal abandonment.
• In the first half of 2008 (January 1-June 30), 31 babies were safely surrendered in California. Los Angeles County leads the state with 59 babies safely surrendered since the program’s inception.

The Law

• Under the SSB law, a parent or person with lawful custody can safely surrender a baby confidentially and without fear of prosecution within 72 hours of birth.
• The SSB law requires the baby be taken to a public or private hospital, designated fire station or other safe surrender site. No questions will be asked.
• The SSB law provides a safe alternative to desperate mothers who are unwilling or unable to keep their babies.
• Babies who are safely surrendered at a hospital are given medical treatment and placed in a foster home or pre-adoptive home. At the time of surrender, a bracelet is placed on the baby for identification purposes and a matching bracelet provided to the parent or lawful guardian in case the baby is reclaimed.
• A parent or person with lawful custody has up to 14 days from the time of surrender to reclaim their baby.
• In addition to California, at least 46 other states have such laws in place to discourage baby abandonment.

Additional Information

• SSB posters and brochures are available, free of charge, to requesting individuals and organizations. Visit our Web site at www.babysafe.ca.gov for more information.

• This is from the California Department of Social Services web site.