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Last Saturday, Safe Haven Baby BoxesI Inc ‘s BTVF WRTV-TV (Indianapolis) ran a puffy but important free advertisement feature Behind the Boxes: The small passionate team manufacturing Safe Haven Baby Boxes in Rural Indiana (print). (WRTV doesn’t permit posting its video on other sites, but you can watch it here.) It’s a sort of breathless documentary about “hearts and souls” and how the once small “ministry” has turned its kitchen table project into a vertically integrated empire operated by the Kelsey family that would make Henry Ford proud.
OK, that’s an exaggeration. I doubt that Monica Kelsey, CEO and founder of the baby box company has ever heard of much less sat down to model her business plan on River Rouge integration. There is no doubt, however, that the baby box company owns the newborn abandonment industry: from concept to baby box legislation to box blessing to baby dropping–and beyond. Note Mrs. Kelsey’s porn wall-of-fame pictures of herself and “her” so-called “saved babes” she uses to pimp her program except in Kansas where she is barred by law from even being informed if a drop takes place (bottom of page 15)
A couple of years ago the company ditched the kitchen table, acquired an office/small factory space, and took over production of its baby boxes, making its control of the movement complete. I can’t think of any localized news report in the entire country that ever brings this up. The WRTV report treats the business somewhere between passionate and cute.
We have brought up this iron grip in testimony (sample) and in our published talking points. We find when discussing baby boxes with legislators that this weird monopoly of a so-called social service is a point that often perks up their ears. It’s clear that Baby Box bills are vendor bills that benefit a family-owned operation (mom, pop and son) racking in around $200,000 a year in salary alone, and that doesn’t sit well with some folks.
From our talking points
Promotes and supports the non-profit ministry Safe Have Baby Boxes, Inc., a million-dollar corporation that controls the manufacture, promotion, sales, installation, and referral of women to baby boxes in the United States. It has created the baby box market and lobbies legislatures, produces boxes at its own factory, installs the devices, operates a hotline that refers pregnant women to box locations near them, and holds press conferences when a newborn is left in a box. Rather than protect legitimate privacy interests of the infant, it uses boxed children as fundraising tools for its ministry.
Now beyond our talking points, WRTV-TV has given us a handy documentary tool to attach or link to testimonies and letters. With plenty of pictures. No one will just have to take our word for it. No, we are not making this up!
Use it!
We’ll help you!
Onesie by Mary Bassett, Fine Art America.com
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