Fort Smith to Get Safe Haven Baby Box
Talk Business & Politics reports that Fort Smith will be the site of Arkansas’ next Safe Haven Baby Box.
Arkansas’ Safe Haven Act of 2001 lets a woman surrender her newborn baby to law enforcement, medical personnel, and first responders. The law gives women with unplanned pregnancies an option besides abortion.
Similar laws are on the books in all 50 states.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes installed at fire stations let women surrender an infant safely and anonymously using a specialized, hospital-grade bassinet designed to keep the baby secure while a silent alarm notifies first responders inside the fire station that the baby is there.
The Safe Haven Baby Box reportedly will be installed at Fire Station #11 in Fort Smith by the end of this year.
Talk Business & Politics reports that there is an initial fee of $10,000 to build and install the Safe Haven Box and train personnel to operate it.
Arkansas currently has five Safe Haven Baby Boxes. Maumelle, El Dorado, and Rogers are expected to install Safe Haven Baby Boxes in the coming months as well.
Pro-life groups in Arkansas also are promoting the state’s Safe Haven law through a billboard campaign. Arkansas Right to Life has previously reported that billboards have been placed in 21 counties across the state.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes are amazing pieces of pro-life technology. It’s good to see communities like Fort Smith continue to make them available to Arkansans.
