Illinois has a Safe Haven law. However, staff didn't know that the baby was outside.
A newborn baby was found unresponsive outside an Illinois fire station. He could have been safely surrendered, without any questions.
The tragic discovery was made by the firehouse crew when they arrived at the North Orleans Street station at 5 a.m. on Saturday to shovel snow.
The duffel bag was covered in snow and contained a dead baby boy. It is unclear how long he was outside in the freezing Chicago temperatures.
Dawn Geras, a distraught member of Save Abandoned Babies Foundation, told ABC7 that if the baby was not placed there alive, the baby would freeze to death. This is Chicago. It is cold at night. It is not possible to leave your baby outside.
Although they may vary from one state to the next, all US states have Safe Haven legislation. In Illinois, parents can surrender a baby to a designated location -- such as a hospital or police station -- within 30 day of giving birth. However, it must not be injured and no questions are asked. At least one staff member must be notified.
"It makes me feel like I failed," Geras said, tearing up. "There was another woman out there who didn't know anything about the law, or how it works, and that's why there's a baby dead on the doorsteps to a fire station." This shouldn't happen."
"They were so close doing the right thing. She asked, "Why didn't they go the extra two steps?" "I'm speechless. I don't know how to speak. I want to shout and scream."
Her organization claims that 144 infants were safely transferred since 2001 when the state passed the safe-haven law. Another 89 infants were abandoned and half of them died.
The Chicago Police Department and the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office are currently investigating the death of the little boy.
Chicago Fire tweeted an alert about the Abandoned Infant Protection Act just hours after finding him:
It stated that Illinois' Safe Haven law provides a safe option for parents who have to make difficult decisions about giving up a baby for adoption. The best outcome is possible by handing a newborn over to a Paramedic or Firefighter at a firehouse. There are no questions and no judgments.
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Title: Newborn Found Dead in Duffel Bag Left Outside Chicago Fire Station
Sourced From: toofab.com/2022/01/18/newborn-found-dead-in-duffel-bag-left-outside-chicago-fire-station/
Published Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2022 16:30:35 +0000
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