Leeds Morelli & Brown P.C. – Safe Haven Law

On October 2, 2008, the Today Show reported that a father in Nebraska dropped off nine of his ten children, ranging in ages one to seventeen, at an Omaha Hospital because he was no longer able to cope with raising his children.  This recently widower father walked out of the hospital with no questions asked.  The reason behind this is the controversial Nebraska Safe Haven Law.  Extended family members have placed the blame on this newly enacted law, suggesting that if it were not for this law, he would have turned to family for help.  

 All states have a version of a Safe Haven law, which allows mothers to leave a newborn at a hospital or fire department, and walk away with no questions asked and without fear of prosecution.  New York’s version of the law, passed in 2000, the Abandoned Infant Protection Act, decriminalizes the act of abandoning an infant, so long as the baby was left at a specified safe place and someone was informed.  Nebraska’s newly enacted Safe Haven law goes a step further and extends coverage to all minor children.  This means that a parent in Nebraska is protected under state law when he or she drops off a teenage child.   Critics of the Nebraska law are claiming that the law does not keep with the spirit of the Safe Haven concept, which is to prevent mothers from leaving their newborn in a dumpster or bathroom.   

 The attorneys at Leeds, Morelli & Brown, P.C. are experienced in all domestic relations matters, and have represented families in Nassau and Suffolk counties, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, and Staten Island.  During these tough economic times it is important to know and understand the protection the law affords to you and your family.  For any questions concerning domestic relations matters, contact an attorney at the Leeds Morelli & Brown P.C. law firm for a free consultation at 1-888-556-2529. Leeds Morelli & Brown P.C.’s divorce website is located at www.lbdivorcelaw.com.