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.