What started as a way to save innocent children in 2015 has grown into a lot more, and a bill currently making its way through the Indiana State House and Senate may help the program grow even more.
Good evening, i'm chris mullooly thanks for joining.
Indiana legislators are looking to change a law that was amended back in 20-15 to include safe haven baby boxes as a way to help save chil lives.
The proposed changes would aim to help even more caleb .fox 55 saylor is live in woodburn tonight to tell us more about house bill 10-32 and its impact moving forward.
Like chris mentioned, indiana law surrounding emergency child abandonment currently allows safe haven baby boxes, but at a location like a fire station or a hospital that is staffed by a emergency medical professional at all times.
However some communities only have volunteer fire departments and aren allowed to have a safe have baby box, but that something house bill 1032 wants to change and everyone i spoke with about it is on board.
3 just wanted to save a few babies in indiana.
Started as a way to save innocent children in 2015 has grown into a lot more, and a bill currently making its way through the indiana state house and senate may help it grow even more.
House bill 1032, if passed, will allow for safe haven baby boxes to be installed at volunteer fire stations.
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Baby boxes founder monica kelsey says the city of woodburn is a perfect example of why this expansion is needed.
His community is less than two thousand people and we e never had a safe haven surrender prior to that, but yet we had one february 22nd, 2019 because a woman trusted us enough to bring us her child.
In the state house, the bill passed by a vote of 95-0.
District 85 representative dave heine says the vote was simple t increases the number of baby boxes that wel have in our state and itl save babie?lives that why i voted yes.
It really opens up the state.
Amendments on the bill include a response time of no more than four minutes if a baby is left in the box at a volunteer fire station and is less than a mile away from a hospital or place that has an ems or police officer on staff 24/7.
For kelsey, she wishes struggli have hers didn to choose this option he baby box is not a go opti only a good opti the only option this mother has left.
Says partly because of safe haven baby boxes, no abandoned children have been found dead in indiana since baby amelia in 20-14... and believes expanding their availability will protect more children and save morhis a good option for volunteer fire stations for rural communities where most of the firefighters in the community know the kids that are at the high school.
So, it is a good thing that this bill is getting passed.
?kele not done ey growing the program.
They recently installed their 60th box in arkansas, and worked with the state of kentucky to pass a law to allow safe haven baby boxes.
Indiana house bill 1032 will soon go back to the house from the senate before final vote is taken.
Reporting live in ????, caleb saylor fox 55 news
House Bill 1230 would allow baby boxes to be placed at any EMS station that has 24-7 staffing. Parents could also legally give up..