‘Beautiful’ baby girl found in Missouri’s ‘safe haven box’

Missouri’s first baby to be left in a ‘safe haven box’ will be put up for adoption after being found in “perfect” health.

The baby girl, discovered just hours after birth, was placed in a baby box which was installed at a Mehlville Fire District station in August.

All 50 US states have safe haven legislation in place, which allows mothers in crisis to leave their newborn babies at designated locations without fear of prosecution.

‘Love’

Chief of Mehlville Fire Protection District Brian Hendricks said: “A beautiful, healthy baby girl was safely and anonymously surrendered to us here”.

“To that mother, I would like to say that we loved that baby and cared for that baby the minute we laid eyes on her and the minute we opened up that door”.

State Representative Jim Murphy, who campaigned for Missouri to allow baby boxes, said: “If we do nothing else, today we did something important. We saved a life.”

Another baby box is due to be installed at another Mehlville station, while other Missouri districts are also considering their introduction.

Adoption

Last year, Florida’s first ‘safe haven’ baby was adopted by her rescuer at six months old.

In January 2023, baby Zoey’s now adoptive father found her in a baby box at Ocala Fire Rescue station with a shoelace tying off her umbilical cord. After taking her to the hospital, the fireman and his wife began the adoption process.

Zoey’s adoptive mother reflected: “We’ve been trying for almost a decade to have a family, and everything has kind of not worked out for us” so everyone was “just in disbelief honestly that she was hand-delivered to us almost”.

Safe Haven Baby Boxes’ founder Monica Kelsey has stressed that although she does not promote safe havens as an alternative to abortion, the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v Wade caused an “increase in interest in what we do”.