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Safe Haven Baby Boxes Inc runs a deeply dangerous video on its website,* YouTube, and other platforms. This video can kill your daughter, your sister, your best friend, your neighbor- -even you.
This video targets teen girls–but ultimately all women– teaching them it is OK to conceal a pregnancy and medically unassisted birth (apparently nearly stress- and mess- free) and then dispose of the evidence by popping the baby in the company’s magic box-in-the-wall-baby- erasing machine. You can walk away safe, healthy and carefree. No one will ever know you had this baby.
The video does not have a title. The company calls it a PSA (Public Service Announcement).
It is not a PSA.
I’ve worked public relations and marketing for non-profits where I wrote PSAs regularly. PSAs usually run from 10 to 30 seconds (60 seconds at most.) This video is nearly 9 minutes of shame-based indoctrination and medical misinformation with a misogynic ethos, and a weird happy-ever-after ending tagged on.
It is an informercial– a step-by-step online video manual of how to hide pregnancy and birth that will supposedly guide mother and child to a nearby abandonment box and happy future for both.
It could also lead to tragedy with unintentional injury or death to mother and child. Or an even worse scenario. Teach the practical efficacy of hiding pregnancy and birth to those in a “crisis pregnancy” situation who then hide the evidence permanently through discard or neonaticide.
Watch the VideoTeenage Dystopia SHBB Inc Style
The abandonment-by-box scenario in the video is orchestrated not by the frightened teen, but her best friend, who is disturbingly too enthusiastic about the mission. She scours the internet looking for a solution for her friend’s predicament, eventually landing happily on the SHBB Inc website. While Our Girl (as I call our pregnant teen) remains frightened and passive throughout her pregnancy, her BGF, an instant recruit into the SHBB Inc Army, hut 2-3- 4s her to the baby erasing box. BGF is so excited about the prospect of sticking the baby in the box, that she wants to do it herself under the guise of concerned friendship.
Nothing in the video suggests Our Girl talk with her parents. Nothing suggests she talk with a trusted adult–her BGF’s mother, or a school counselor, or a teacher. Nothing suggests she tell her boyfriend, whom we’ve seen earlier (in an excruciatingly boring scene) lobbing snowballs in a park, about the jam she (and he) are in. He remains clueless and protected throughout the drama –an immaculate accessory to her immaculate narrative and home. (see video). It’s none of his business. The subtle message: dads don’t count– unless they go along with the baby box cleansing ritual
Nothing suggests Our Girl needs pre-natal care or that she is aware of pregnancy and birth complications that could kill her. Nothing suggests she will need aftercare. (Read SHBB Inc’s dismissive aftercare info here), Nothing suggests she investigate confidential public or private services to help her through her pregnancy crisis now or afterward. Certainly nothing suggests she considers abortion or even thinks about it. Surprisingly, even crisis pregnancy centers, which universally support and fund SHBB Inc, go unmentioned.
What is really weird: we don’t see either of the girls at any point actually call the SHBB Inc hotline, which except for abortion, allegedly passes along all of these suggestions, options, and assistances. Maybe it’s done off camera, but that makes no sense since “professional counseling” is the organization’s self-proclaimed forte, though its founder/president Monica Kelsey reminds us constantly that the company is “pro woman;” therefore, their duty is to “trust women.” Mrs. Kelsey trains medical providers, fire fighters and EMTs never to challenge the decision to “surrender” babies at their locations or even offer medical assistance to bleeding new mothers. Not even a simple “are you sure about this?” Once the game is in motion, there is no turning back.
The youngest box mom SHBB Inc has counseled to the box, according to Mrs. Kelsey was 12. Can you imagine the outrage if Mrs. Kelsey were guiding 12-year olds to secret abortions–or even birth control? I can.
Mrs Kelsy also informs us that several of the box dumpers are men (how does she know if they are anonymous?). Presumably we are expected to “trust men” with anonymous babies as well. What if a 12-year old boy shows up a fire station, baby in hand?
Nobody asks how adopted people might feel about SHBB Inc’s handy no-fuss service–or how these babies might feel anything but gratitude when they grow up. Nobody points out that Our Girl may soon regret her decision but is stuck with it since she is stuck with her secret. Instead, Mrs. Kelsey gives cold comfort promising to “walk beside” these babies and their anonymized mothers and fathers as they take their journey. God has a plan.
As crude and ill-scripted as this video is, it illustrates how those in “crisis pregnancies” can be manipulated to accept the company’s message” No Shame, No Blame No Name.”
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Mrs Kelsey says that baby boxes empower women. The box takes the embarrassment and judgement out of the trad safe haven “trauma” of hand-to-hand-eye-to eye contact with a nurse or fire fighter. (For the record we do not support any type of anonymous birth scheme.).
How do baby abandonment boxes alleviate shame when Mrs. Kelsey herself creates visual and verbal messages on social media and in the press, of anxious fearful mothers sneaking out of their homes under cover of darkness, afraid to be seen, wearing hoodies to cover their faces as they disappear their babies into box at 3:00 AM. .
If not for shame why would and could Mrs. Kelsey create a scheme to anonymize mothers and babies? If not for judgement why do she and her associates at company-sponsored public events such as box blessings, press conferences, and fundraisers praise anonymous mother for their’ courage and love, and in the next breath claim these same women would be baby abusers and killers were it not for her baby box?
Ironically, Ms. Kelsey has claimed online several times that she knows the identities of many of “her” mothers. She says they call to thank her for services rendered and to shoot the breeze. One volunteers for her ministry and attends company events. Do any of them know that they were that close to discard and murder?
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I have agitated against baby abandonment boxes, talked to legislators, submitted written testimony and testified remote against box bills for nearly 8 years, I believe that lawmakers and citizen supporters, (not SHBB Inc “professionals” and allies) who advocate these bills, are mostly well-intentioned but have no understanding of the physical, psychological, and social danger they intend to legalize for what they consider, due to word of faith propaganda, a social good. They are unfortunately victims of the moral panic that SHBB Inc has constructed to further its son propre grand plan to restructure child welfare and adoption.
I originally wrote a a longer opnion of this video but cut most of it. Currently, the legislative siege season has brought us 29 baby box and related bills. Only one is dead. The others are on the cusp of passing, some have upcoming hearings, and others lay dormant (so far).
This video is a prime example of how Mrs. Kelsey self-sabotages herself and her so-called mission. At this point, it is more important to get this video into the legislative and public eye than to snark about it.
DO IT!
Send this video to you friends and family.
Repost the video on adoptee rights, adoption reform, child welfare, and human trafficking social media
Send the video to your local media
Send the video to your lawmakers if they are considering a baby box bill
Send letters. Testify at hearings in person or remote.
New Action Alerts Coming Soon
- The “new and improved” SHBB Inc website has eliminated a good portion of material it posted previously and inexplicably does not include a search feature. If this video is now on that page, its buried. It definitely remains on YouTube.
I saw a video of Monica displaying pictures of several of the babies who have been left in safe haven baby boxes. It seems like Monica and the knights of columbus are using these boxes to supply babies for adoptive parents. The knights of columbus features one of those adoptive parents. They also claim to know that most of the babies have been adopted. They parade the babies around for publicity without any regard of how that will impact the children.
Thanks for posting his Sarah. Their dog and pony shows are gross violations of adoptee privacy and totally out of line with best practice standards Some of the adoptive parents have become media whores and show up regularly in print and visual media with their acquisitions. Others who have adopted The Boxed show common sense and respect and don’t prance around for public entertainment or to raise money for SHBB Inc The disregard for common decency that Mrs. Kelsey, an adopted woman, shows for these children is astounding. But then one has only to take a look at the abandonment box company’s 990s to see what is going on. She has said many times that each “lovingly surrendered baby” is an advertisement for more adopptables to be harvested and a fatter bank account. I know adopted adults who were exploited like this for publicity (or whatever)–trotted out to the press annually for some “special” day or event or for a slow news day, and their adoptive parents congratulated for the selfless courage in taking in an unwanted child or some such BS. They had no say-so as children they have a lot to say about that now, Whie SHBB Inc cannot be compared to Georgia Tann, the publicity campaign reeks of Tannism.
As for the K of C. They ae one of the biggest supporters of boxes. I particularly enjoy it when they come out in full cosplay looking like Peter Sellers in The Mouse that Roared.