There are times when parents aren’t suitable for one reason or another. It’s sad to realize that, despite the existence of Safe Haven laws, some moms still choose to abandon their infant in locations where they’re not sure if someone will find and save him.
This is precisely what occurred to a newborn baby who was discovered in Glen Burnie, Maryland’s woods near a bike path.
When Rutherford was out for a stroll, he heard a sound that sounded like a wounded animal. However, when he approached the source of the noise to investigate, he was shocked to discover something else. It wasn’t an injured animal; it was a newborn baby girl who had clearly been left behind.
Ted was certain of it as soon after seeing the newborn that he saw a tiny girl. He stated, “The placenta and all the, you know, the fluids and all were in like a grocery bag, a little plastic bag, and it was tied up around the umbilical cord.”
Neighboring neighbors were alarmed, as were the infant’s parents. To notify a neighbor who happened to be watering his plants outside, Jeff rushed inside and called him on the phone. The two men attempted to rescue the kid from the bush, but she was trapped by sticker bushes lying upside down.
They dialed 911 rather than rushing to her aid. The authorities responded swiftly, arriving just a few minutes later. Anne Arundel County police officers soon arrived on the scene. They were the ones who succeeded in extracting the kid from beneath the bushes. The baby was then rushed to a hospital for treatment.
It’s hard to fathom how a mother could treat her own kid in such a manner. However, we must also consider what she is going through when she decides to leave her kid in the woods.
Fortunately, the authorities were able to find the mother of the missing youngster the next day. She has likewise been given medical attention and crisis intervention services since she was taken in.
Fortunately, despite the early trauma she has endured after being abandoned in the woods, the newborn infant is healthy and prospering. Aside from minor injuries sustained as a result of the sticker bushes where she was left unattended, the baby is doing well and healthy.
Safe haven laws now exist in all 50 states. Maryland goes even further, providing immunity from civil and criminal responsibility to anyone who leaves an unharmed newborn under ten days old with a responsible adult with the intent not to return for the infant.
If the individual leaving the newborn is not the infant’s mother, he or she must get the mother’s consent before being allowed to abandon the kid.
Also, under the Safe Haven Laws, any responsible adult, hospital or other designated facility that is taking care of a newborn is immune from civil liability or criminal prosecution for all actions done in good faith related to the baby’s acceptance or medical treatment or care. Gross negligence and willful misconduct, on the other hand, do not absolve them from responsibility.
