Misleading Headlines about Safe Haven Laws

One of my big gripes is misleading headlines about safe haven laws, baby boxes, neonaticide/discard, child abandonment, adoption, and child welfare in general. I don’t expect reporters to be experts on adoption law and practice and certainly not nuances, but…at this point, I am pretty sure that AI, not real-live interns, write many of the headers I see, and God forbid actual news stories. (Which reminds me: many Safe Haven Baby Box news stories are nothing more than actual press releases or slightly re-hashed press releases from the Baby Box corporation. But that’s for another day.)

A Current Example of a Misleading Header

Wyoming recently increased the age at which babies are eligible for safe haven treatment under the state law from 14 days to 60 days. (hissssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Instead of writing a reasonable headline reflecting that change such as the Wyoming Tribune Eagle’s “Wyoming’s safe haven Law now allows 60 days to safely give up a newborn.” Sheridan Media gives us:

Parents Who Want to Give Up Their Infant for Adoption Have More Time to Decide

Hells bells!

The headline makes it sound like a parent has a small (but now expanded ) window of opportunity to “relinquish” a child for adoption at all–and after the bell rings–tough! You missed the deadline!  

To make it worse, the article fails to mention normal adoption practices, as if safe haven abandonment is the only way adoptions can be done. Echos of the (Texas) Justice Foundation/Operation Outcry 20+ years argument that even showed up in Dobbs, that abortion is no longer necessary since women, due to safe haven laws, can “release their babies to the community–at no cost.” What a deal! Who knew that until the advent of safe haven lawas, that parents without 2 dimes to rub together paid the state or an adoption agent to take their kid!

Kitty Litter!!!!!!!

Of course,  SSHBBN prefers that children not be tossed into the adoption spammer –but the idea that a quick legal safe haven dump is the only way a parent can “make an adoption plan” In Wyomng is absurd, stupid, insulting, and scary. I hope no one there believes this, but I won’t count on it.

This isn’t the first time Wyoming has pimped the state’s safe haven law as a “solution” to an inconvenient pregnancy, newborn, or personal or family economic crisis. During Covid, the Wyoming Department of Family Services issued a press release reminding parents that the state’s safe haven law is thankfully here to lessen the stress of new parenthood during a worldwide pandemic:

During these very difficult and trying times for many families across the state, the Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS) would like to remind new parents of an option available if they feel too overwhelmed to care for their infant.

Wyoming’s Safe Haven Law provides a safe, legal and responsible way for parents who have a baby they may be unable to care for safely.

We don’t have stats on safe haven use in Wyoming (baby boxes are not authorized) ) or the number of discarded infants. SHBB Inc doesn’t even include the state on its current Reported  Abandonment chart so we presume it’s nil.

On a closing “positive” note, as positive as it can be, if the tribal affiliation of a safe havened baby is known, the baby is covered by the Wyoming Indian Child Welfare Act. That’s more than most states offer or even care about.

******