A Licensed Child Placing Agency & Home Study Provider

The Adoption & Family Support Center, LLC, 709 Hills Blvd., Port Orange, Florida  32127

Toll Free: 866-221-6562 Main Number: 386-760-5804

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Safehaven – the 4th Choice in an Unplanned Pregnancy

EVERY WOMAN EXPERIENCING AN UN-PLANNED PREGNANCY, SHOULD READ THIS

• Pregnant? 
  

• Scared?
  

• Don't want your parents to find out? 
  

• Don't want to abort or too late to abort? 
  

• Don't want to be involved with an agency or attorney?
  

• Keeping the secret between you and your boyfriend?
  

• Planning ways to "get rid of" the child (you will get caught).
  

Please do not jeopardize your own future in "getting rid of" the child – use Safehaven.

Adoption is a choice many women make when faced with an unplanned pregnancy.

In today's adoption arena, birth mothers play an active role in the adoption process.  They can choose parents from the many nationwide postings on the Internet.  They can choose semi-open or open adoption, in which they have some type of ongoing communication with the adoptive family.  This active role in adoption has become common practice throughout the nation.  A birth mother can still choose a closed adoption when she works with an agency, but are encouraged toward some amount of openness even if delayed to some future time.

There are still some women who would choose adoption, but do not want to work with an adoption entity – the paperwork, mandatory doctor visits, consent signing, etc.  There are those who simply want to give birth to the child and walk away.  They are not interested in knowing adoptive parents or hearing about the child in the future.  They are more concerned about no one knowing of their pregnancy now and no one finding out in the future.

For these women, Safehaven is there.  It is the 4th choice for women, but few people are aware of this choice.  By becoming more aware of it, we can assure more children will have a healthy, stable future.

What is Safehaven?  It's simple.  After giving birth to a child, you tell the hospital staff you are leaving the child behind under the Safehaven Law.  Your information will be maintained by the hospital but closed to anyone else, even agencies or attorneys who would find an adoptive family for the child. The child will be placed for adoption through a private adoption agency or Children & Families. 

If you give birth to your child at home or other than at a hospital, you can take the baby to the hospital and leave the child under the Safehaven Law.  There are additional Safehaven facilities, such as fire departments, which vary by state.  Forty-seven states and Puerto Rico have Safehaven laws.  Learn of the Safehaven facilities and the time-frame in which you are protected under this law.

What are you protected from? You are protected from being arrested for abandonment and/or neglect of a child.  You have so many hours, days or weeks (depending on your state) from the child's birth in which to make this choice.  You must also go to a designated Safehaven facility.  These TWO things are extremely important!  You cannot simply leave the child on the doorstep of a church, the porch of someone's house or even outside of a Safehaven facility.  You must take the child inside the facility and give the child to someone there.  However, you are not required to give your name.

If Safehaven is what you choose and you did not give birth at the hospital, please put a note with your baby that gives the baby's date of birth and ethnic background.  If you have any significant illness such as HIV, Hepatitus C, bipolar disorder, etc., it will help the doctors who treat your child if you include that information.

Safehaven laws were established to help those women who, for whatever reason, wish to remain anonymous after giving birth to a child.  Your child will receive immediate medical attention and then a good family to raise him or her.

Call 800-394-3366 or go to National Safe Have Alliance for information about Safehaven laws in your state.

Information contained on this site is not intended to be legal advise.  We suggest calling an attorney to obtain legal counsel.

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