Stop Baby Boxes Now!

Dangerous, Unethical, Anti-family, Anti-adoptee

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Indiana 

An overview of Indiana law, statistics, legislation, and news stories related to Safe Haven Baby Boxes.

Law 

Statistics

Number of Boxes 14 1 (137 in operation; 4 deactivated)
Cases:  28 (?)

See Local News Coverage | SHBB Cases

    Indiana Baby Box Map

    Facilities and locations where Safe Haven Baby Boxes have been installed in Indiana, plus where infants have been abandoned. Note: to date three infants have been abandoned at undisclosed baby box locations in the state. See the Indiana Cases page for more information.

    Indiana Baby Box Locations Placeholder
    Indiana Baby Box Locations

    Jump to: Legislation | Hearings and Testimony | The Story | Documents | Selected News Stories and Chronology

    Legislation

    2024

    2023

    • SB 345 Defines “safe haven infant”. Allows the emergency medical services provider to notify either the department of child services (department) or a licensed child placing agency to take custody of a safe haven infant. Provides distinct procedures for termination of parent-child relationship involving a safe haven infant. Requires the department’s attorney or a licensed child placing agency to file a petition to terminate the parent-child relationship not later than 15 days after taking custody of the safe haven infant. Requires a licensed child placing agency to place the safe haven infant with a preapproved foster care provider. Provides that both parents’ consent to termination of the parent-child relationship is irrevocably implied without further court action if, after at least 28 days, neither parent petitioned the court for custody. Provides that notice is not required for safe haven infants. Prohibits the court from inquiring about the reason for the parents’ absence. Adds safe haven infants to the list of exceptions to required preservation and reunification efforts. Passed. Effective Date: July 1, 2023

    2022

    • SB185. Modifies SHBB requirements that apply to a fire department. Makes conforming changes to the immunity provisions applicable to the places at which a box may be located.  Passed. Signed by Governor: March 14, 2022. Effective date: immediately

    2021

    • HB1032. Expands SHBB law. (1) Provides for placement of a newborn safety device at any facility that is staffed by an emergency medical services provider on a 24 /7 basis;    (2) at any fire department, including a volunteer fire department that: (1) meets the minimum response time established by the county, not to exceed four minutes; (2) is located within one mile of a hospital, police station, or emergency medical services station that meets certain requirements; (3) is equipped with an alert system that, when the newborn safety device is opened, automatically connects to the 911 system and transmits a request for immediate dispatch of an emergency medical services provider to the location of the newborn safety device and is tested at least one time per month to ensure the alert system is in working order; and (4) is equipped with an independent video surveillance system that allows at least two members of a fire department to monitor inside the newborn safety device at all times.  Passed. Signed by Governor: April 20,  2021. Effective date: immediately.

    Hearings and Testimony

    2024

    2023

    Adoptee Rights Law Center Flow Chart: A Recipe for Corruption, January 31, 1223

    The Story

    The establishment of Safe Haven Baby Boxes in Indiana was rife with controversy that led to a dispute between the Commission on Improving the Status of Children, which by law (scroll through) was required to approve baby box implementation, and the Indiana State Department of Child Services on one side and the state legislature and Safe Haven Baby Boxes on the other.

    Child welfare professionals lost the fight when lawmakers devised a work-around to “legalize” baby boxes. Boxes have been in place for six years now, but the Indiana  Department of Child Services mentions them only at the bare minimum on its webpage.

    Since the passage of the original law, amendments have been added to expand SHBB utilization making it easier for parents to dump-by-baby-box.

    Numerous documents and news stories were generated by the dispute. Unfortunately, many of the official documents are no longer online. Some have been saved or retrieved and you will find them below. (Additional  documents will be posted pending response to records requests.) 

    The Documents

    From the Indiana Commission on Improving the Status of Children:

    After considering all the factors outlined in the law, ISDH found that there were no specifications or function requirements that could be created that would ensure the safety and security of children placed in such a device. There are currently no standards–either internationally or here in the United States–for the design, manufacturing, and maintenance of material housing for abandoned children.  If such a device were to be used it would be imperative that industry professionals provide recommendations on how to best conform to the local standards that hospital systems and other Safe Haven sites across the country would be able to support.  Additionally, as a medical device, any device designed to house an abandoned baby should undergo certification and testing to standards set by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the International Electrotechnical Commission, or other agencies as appropriate  Consequently, our recommendation is that this avenue be pursued by the Vendor . . . .

    Even if the ISDH were given regulatory authority and performed routine inspections of newborn safety incubators, we could not ensure an infant’s safety  There are no standards or protocols that could ensure a device would not malfunction, which could potentially result in the harm of an infant. Indiana’s babies are too precious to take this risk

    • Presentation of Recommendations on Safe Haven Baby Boxes to the Indiana Commission on Improving the Status of Children by Dr. Jennifer Walthall, Deputy Health Commissioner, Director of Health Outcomes for the Indiana Department of Health and co-chair of the Infant mortality and Child Health Task Force, December 2016 (pubic records request pending)

    Selected News Stories: Chronology of Legislation, Disputes, and Actions, 2015-current

    See Indiana SHBB Cases for links to stories on babies abandoned in SHBB | See also local news coverage in Indiana on SHBB and installations in the state

    What SHBB Inc doesn’t want you to know:

    I’m also excited that lawmakers approved $1 million to help communities install and promote Safe Haven Baby Boxes. The state’s Safe Haven Law allows parents in crisis to safely and unanimously surrender an infant less than 30 days old without prosecution. A last resort option for a mom to surrender their newborn and maintain anonymity is to use a Safe Haven Baby Box…Rep. Randy Frye, Press Release, August 12, 2022

    2024

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    2015

    Updated: November 25, 2024