LOS ANGELES (CNS) — A newborn boy was dropped off at a hospital in Los Angeles on marking the third “safe surrender” this month in the county, authorities announced.
The boy was the 16th newborn to be surrendered this year under the county’s Safe Surrender program, according to Supervisor Don Knabe. The hospital where he was taken on Saturday, Oct. 17, was not identified.
Earlier this month, a baby boy was safely surrendered at a Long Beach fire station and an infant girl was handed over at a Los Angeles-area hospital.
As is standard practice, the children were taken into protective custody and will be placed with families approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.
“It’s incredible to know that in the span of less than a month, three newborns were blessed with a second chance at life because of Safe Surrender,” Knabe said. “This year has been the most successful year for the Safe Surrender program because mothers, who found themselves in a desperate situation, ultimately made the better choice for them and for their babies.”
Since Knabe helped launch the program 14 years ago, 140 newborns have been surrendered. The program allows someone to surrender an infant that is no more than 3 days old at a fire station or hospital, as long as the infant shows no signs of abuse.
More information is available at BabySafeLa.org.