CLEVELAND — A 16-year-old girl has been arrested and is facing two counts of involuntary manslaughter after her infant twins were found dead in a garbage can.
The case brings to light the need to make sure parents have safe and legal options for passing off newborns that they can’t take care of.
The Safe Havens for Newborns law was enacted in Ohio in 2001 with the goal of decreasing the number of babies who were left in unsafe places. Dr. Lolita McDavid, the medical director of Child Advocacy and Protection with University Hospitals, explained how it works.
“An infant up to 30 days of age can be left with a medical worker at a hospital, with a medical worker at a fire department or other emergency service organization, or a peace officer, meaning a policeman, in a law enforcement agency,” she said.
Only a mother or father are allowed to drop the baby off.
“The child is taken to a hospital and examined and the department of children and family services are contacted,” McDavid said.
She encourages parents to at least fill out some paperwork regarding their medical history to help them in the future.
“The parent doesn’t have to give their name, but if they could give some medical information, information about themselves or their pregnancy,” she said.
She expressed the importance of dropping babies off in a safe location if people are not ready to become parents.
