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| The baby girl was found on the grassy area to the left of the photo (Google Streetview) |
It can't be said enough: Illinois has a Safe Haven Law specifically so newborn babies can be saved from fates like this. If you know someone who is scared and pregnant, please let her know. This is it in a nutshell:
Illinois law says that as long as you don't harm your baby, you can hand your newborn (30 days old or younger) to personnel at any hospital, police station or staffed fire station in Illinois for adoption with no questions asked.Both the high-rise at 850 Eastwood and Uplift School have security cameras in the area, but the high-rise's camera didn't capture the images. Police are looking into video footage from the school.
No one will ask your name. Your baby will get medical care and be adopted into a loving family. You can even provide anonymous medical information, so your baby will grow up with a medical history.
It's just heartbreaking that the person who abandoned her didn't walk a block to Weiss Hospital, where the baby could have been surrendered and saved.
It brings to mind the sad case of Baby Wilson, whose 15-year-old mother tied him in plastic bags and tossed him from the window of her home, where he was found by a passerby. She didn't know about the Safe Haven Law, and there is a fire station where she could have turned in the baby boy only a few blocks from her home. We need to start telling kids, over and over again, that they had an option besides abandoning their babies.
If you want to learn more, if you're pregnant and scared to let people know, please call this number: 888-510-BABY. They can help you.
More information:
- Baby Girl Dies After Being Abandoned in Uptown
- Police Investigate Death Of Baby Abandoned In Uptown
- Save Abandoned Babies Foundation
- Officials: Newborn girl found in Uptown died in homicide
There will be 100 deadly newborn abandonments across the country in any 18 month period you choose, from recent start date to 18 months out.
ReplyDeleteThat's 100 dead newborns!
What is the response of the major safe haven awareness campaigns across the country? You're seeing exactly what they do in this article. The same exact response to deadly newborn abandonments took place just weeks ago in Indiana. Same in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan, South Carolina, and most of those states these where deadly abandonments happened multiple times in the last six to twelve months. California has 5 or more deadly abandonments per year. They have multiple funerals, and a dedication of a park to the safe haven children by a 70 year old county supervisor.
Where isn't this endless set of senseless tragedies taking place? Massachusetts. We've had only one deadly newborn abandonment in the last 8.75 years!
What is Massachusetts doing to stop 90% of newborn abandonments? That's right we've stopped 90% of newborn abandonments!!
We use standard demographic marketing of our Baby Safe Haven law!! It's teen and 20 year olds that use the laws, and they are the ONLY ones you see out in the media promoting Baby Safe Haven in Massachusetts!
NEVER do you see a 50+ year old official using a shaming message against Generation Y or Z. It's peers helping peers in crisis. AND IT WORKS!!
We NEVER use safely surrendered babies or children to mock teens who are in crisis and need to make tough decisions.
All the states who use the old advocates, old so-called "experts," old officials and old politicians to exclusively promote their laws have the HIGHEST numbers of newborn abandonments!
And every single one of those states does this exact same strategy again and again when another deadly newborn abandonment takes place. It's insane!
They all know that Massachusetts has stopped 90% of these tragedies, but they refuse to follow a program that puts teens and 20 somethings out in front of the press every single time. The old officials, and so-called experts, see their face time as more important over the death of the next newborn. And there will be another deadly newborn abandonment again, sometimes in just weeks, because they can't communicate with Gen Y & Z. It's insane!!
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Introducing just a few of the young people who will inform their peers across the country following our Massachusetts model.
The originator of the MA campaign with over 100 media coverages for Baby Safe Haven: http://youtu.be/k3dn_DPodPw & http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/1750474/boston_s_view_singer_renee_marcou & http://youtu.be/sPl0NOyV4ro & http://www.wickedlocal.com/article/20080921/News/309219734 & http://youtu.be/xAC9QMw27v4
Here's 16 year old in Wichita, KS, on radio, TV, and front page newspaper coverage: http://youtu.be/npu_8TcIKMk & http://ksn.com/2014/07/01/baby-safe-haven-awareness-campaign/ & http://www.kansas.com/2014/07/05/3540671/wichita-teen-a-spokesperson-for.html
This 20 year old is the only bilingual spokesperson/advocate for any Baby Safe Haven law in the US. In Chicagoland en Espanol: https://soundcloud.com/dtvpro/kiararivera-on-la-ley-1079-chicago & http://youtu.be/5UxXYlfhS2g
18 year old in Danbury, CT, on radio and another front page newspaper story: https://soundcloud.com/dtvpro/despina-drougas-on-98q-baby-safe-haven & http://www.newstimes.com/local/article/A-safe-haven-for-unwanted-babies-5663837.php
16 year old in Knoxville, Tennessee: http://youtu.be/qtmypoHp3Vw
In Los Angeles, SOTs for TV news use: 1 - http://youtu.be/Nv5nlJzS4yE 2 - http://youtu.be/7hHOI7yajL4