Baby steps toward preventing abandoned newborns

News of a pregnancy is often characterized as a moment of joy, a profound experience that brings an immediate smile. But what if happiness is not the emotion that fuels the gasp elicited by the blue line against the test strip or the realization that far too many calendar days have passed? For these women who ultimately walk away from their babies, the sign of a new life is a also a sign that their world is about to fall apart.

Sadly, there are a number of women who choose to postpone the crisis until the last possible moment, after secretly giving birth. Just skim recent headlines. Since the beginning of June, at least four babies have been abandoned in the greater Bay Area - two survived but two were not so lucky.

In San Leandro, a boy was found dead in a garbage can, and in San Jose, another boy was found alive in a shopping center parking lot. In a Soledad lettuce field, a teenage Mexican farm hand gave birth to a baby girl in a portable toilet. The baby was found alive amid raw sewage and taken to a hospital in critical condition. The remains of the fourth baby - age and gender unknown - were discovered in Palo Alto just last week.

Like the majority of women who leave their newborns, these mothers did not take advantage of the California law aimed at preventing just those tragedies. It is probably unlikely they even knew it existed. If they had, all four babies might be alive and all four women would not be facing hefty criminal charges.

Passed in 2001, the Safe Haven law allows people to leave infants up to 3 days old at a hospital with no questions asked. The parent or guardian is free from prosecution as long as the baby is not abused or neglected. The law even offers a two-week period during which the mother can change her mind.

The law is not without its detractors; some opponents believe the law excuses women from taking responsibility for their actions or doesn't address the issues of unwanted pregnancy as a whole. Some might argue that any law involving pregnancy and birth is too fraught with politics to be an objective solution. But the law is neither pro-life nor pro-choice. It's just pro-baby and, ultimately, pro-mother.

The law only works, though, if those it is aimed at are aware of it.

Since the law began, only 58 babies have been brought to state hospitals compared to more than 100 which were abandoned outright, according to statistics from the Department of Social Services. Numbers jumped in 2003 after the state publicized the law, hanging posters and broadcasting public service announcements. This year, 17 babies have been dropped off safely. The increase is comforting; it appears word is finally making its way around. But 58 babies in three years is not enough; four abandoned babies in the Bay Area in less than two months is too much.

The 17-year-old Mexican immigrant likely didn't know about the law; the other mothers, too, probably didn't know they had a choice. And why? Because a majority of the outreach is done through English-language radio spots and posters in doctors' offices - neither outlets accessible by the girl. The other mothers also might have fallen through the educational cracks if they were never in any location where they might hear an ad, spot a poster or pick up a brochure.

Outreach needs to be expanded, even if that means ruffling some feathers. Focus on the communities who might be oblivious due to language barriers. More importantly, aim for the youth before another generation of "Prom Moms" pop up. Put posters at schools and tell teenagers about the law during health class. Encourage parents to talk to their children. Target youth-oriented hangouts or put information hotline numbers in bathroom stalls.

In communities where condoms cannot be distributed by school districts and in which any discussion of sex is taboo, talking about the Safe Haven law is going to be a tough sell. But it should be even tougher to keep minors from knowing about an option that could save them from altering their lives beyond repair.

Broadcasting the Safe Haven law won't diminish all the shame and it won't be a catch-all for every potentially abandoned newborn. It is, though, definitely a baby step toward prevention.

Michelle Durand's column "Off the Beat" runs every Monday and Thursday. She can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 104. What do you think of this column? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.