As numerous Catholics in the Diocese of Tucson gathered for the annual March for Life at the end of January, our thoughts turn to the defense and dignity of life. All people are made by God, and are loved regardless of their situation in life. The Catholic Church defends life, from conception to natural death, or from womb to tomb, as we often say. All along that journey of life, there are moments that threaten the dignity of human life, which needs to be protected. The Catholic Church and many others rise to speak for the most vulnerable and to pray for the protection of all human life. We pray, and we also act.
One such life moment that happens millions of times a year is the conception of a child. Less frequently though still prevalent, however, is the realization that the parents cannot properly care for the child. Too many people turn to abortion for its illusion of an easy end to a problem, without realizing the physical damage caused to mothers and emotional trauma that lasts for years afterwards, let alone the fact that abortion ends the life of a baby – the most vulnerable life on Earth.
Other new parents turn to adoption, as a way of giving their child the best chance of a healthy home life. But some rare few are overwhelmed, scared, and simply do not know what to do with a newborn child, so they abandon the infant who is sometimes left to die.
Newborn abandonment came to light in 1999 when Texas legal cases resulted in the Safe Haven Law which aims to save infants lives by designating a safe haven where distraught parents can anonymously relinquish their babies without risk of prosecution or interrogation.
As of 2008, all 50 states have Safe Haven laws in place to protect infants from fatal and illegal abandonment. Since 1999, more than 4,400 babies have been saved by the Safe Haven law.
Locally, the Arizona Safe Baby Haven Foundation (AZSBH) is an affiliate of the National Safe Haven Alliance. Executive Director Heather Burner offered to elaborate on the work of this organization.
“Our mission is to provide support and safe options for parents and Safe Haven providers to prevent infant abandonment,” said Heather. “We accomplish this through a 24/7 crisis hotline (1-866-707-2229) staffed with a crisis response team that assists parents in crisis by providing direct support for parenting including temporary placement needs, adoption resources, and Safe Haven process and surrender. Our Arizona hotline receives approximately 400-500 crisis calls per year addressing many needs of parents in the state, connecting these callers to community resources and available support for their specific situation.”
AZSBH works with parents towards one of three outcomes: providing guidance so the new parents are equipped to raise their child, connecting new parents with adoption agencies, and, as the last resort, guiding new parents to safely surrender their infant to a Safe Haven provider.
After pursuing all other options, “approximately 2-4 babies are surrendered in Arizona each year, but this number does not reflect those parents who call and receive support for parenting or alternatively choose to place their baby for adoption. More than 80 babies were surrendered nationally in 2021. We are still collecting data and this number will only go up.”
The Safe Haven process is as follows:
“If your baby is unharmed, is under 30 days old, and you don’t intend to reclaim your baby, you have options! Simply bring your baby to the Safe Haven locations:
You must hand your baby to a person at the above locations or may place the baby in the Safe Haven drawer at designated hospitals. Tell them this is a safe haven baby and you may leave. Your baby will be cared for and a good home will be found for the baby.”
So far, one Catholic church in Arizona is a designated Safe Haven provider: Carmel Catholic Church in Tempe. For a church to become a designated provider, AZSBH provides a short training, signs, and materials to have available.
Together, we pray for the health and safety of all babies, before and after birth, as well as the peace and stability of all new parents. May we as a community reach out to support all those in need, to defend the sanctity of all human life, and to work towards the Kingdom of Heaven.
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, “Being in the image of God, the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just something, but someone” (§356).
Resources:
Arizona Safe Baby Haven Foundation: 24/7 crisis hotline (1-866-707-2229), https://azsafebabyhaven.org/
Reachout Women’s Center in Tucson: https://reachoutwomenscenter.com/
> Pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, counseling, referrals, materials assistance
Humanae Vitae, papal encyclical by Pope Paul VI