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Eleven children ages 1 to 17 were abandoned
at Omaha
hospitals on Wednesday under the state’s new law. The safe haven law,
originally intended to protect kids, allows caregivers to abandon babies and
youths at any hospital without fear of prosecution. Nebraska was the last state in the nation to
adopt the new law.
Nine siblings were among the 11 children
left at Omaha
hospitals. Five boys and four girls ages 1 to 17 were left by their father,
whose identity is unknown, at Creighton
University Medical
Center’s emergency room.
The abandoned siblings were in no danger
and it wasn't clear why their father gave them up, Todd Landry, director of the
state division of Children and Family Services, said.
Last week, a 13-year old girl was abandoned
at a hospital. Two boys ages 11 and 15 were left Wednesday at Immanuel Medical
Center. A total of 16
children were abandoned since the law took effect in July, according to the
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
Many State legislatures have enacted such legislation
to address infant abandonment and infanticide in response to a reported
increase in the abandonment of infants. The purpose of safe haven laws is to
ensure that relinquished infants are left with persons who can provide the
immediate care needed for their safety and well-being.
The safe haven provider
is required to accept emergency protective custody of the infant and to provide
any immediate medical care that the infant may require.
But some parents use
the law to leave the children because they are tired of their parenting role, Todd
Landry of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said. He said
child behavioural problems, not family financial woes, were a factor in the
earlier cases.
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