Nebraska 'safe haven' law for kids has unintended results

Submitted by Matt on Sun, 2008-10-05 02:15

Story here. Of course the opening text reports three fathers abandoning kids at "safe haven" spots, creating the impression that they are the typical dropper-offers. Excerpt:

'Between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Wednesday, three fathers walked into two hospitals in Omaha and abandoned their children. One left nine siblings, ages 1 to 17.

The men, unless proven to have abused the kids, won't face prosecution under a new Nebraska law that is unique in the nation. The law allows parents to leave a child at a licensed hospital without explaining why.
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Landry says the courts will decide whether to require the parents to pay child support or to try to reunite them with their children.
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All 50 states have "safe haven" laws, but the others apply only to infants less than 1 year old.

The Nebraska law is the "worst-case scenario of unintended consequences," says Adam Pertman, executive director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, a research group. He says it allows parents to walk out on troublesome teens.'

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