Mercy offers a healthy alternative for desperate mothers.
Mercy Medical Center has always been in the business of saving lives. Last fall, the people of Mercy found a new way to put this mission into action. It's called A Secret Safe Place for Newborns, and its goal is to prevent the tragedy of abandoned and abused infants.

New parents can leave unwanted newborns at Mercy's Emergency Room within three days of birth. For the parents who abide by the program's guidelines, total secrecy and immunity from prosecution are ensured.

Mercy is the first hospital in northeast Ohio to offer such a program.

A Safety Net
We're here to provide a safety net for those who are the most vulnerable and cannot care for themselves. Our aim is to rescue newborns from possible injury or homicide by providing confidential emergency care and shelter. We're also interested in saving the lives of the mothers, who can be free from prosecution. We hope that with a confidential and safe alternative for parents, there will be no more horrifying stories of abandoned babies.

Infants left at the hospital will be given an identification number and placed in the protective custody of the Stark County Department of Job and Family Services, Children Services Division. The parents will also get the infant's ID number, in case they change their minds or want to offer information.

The newborn will be released from the hospital to an appropriate home or adoptive family as soon as medical clearance is obtained. And as long as the baby is unharmed, the mother will not be prosecuted for abandonment if she acts within three days of the birth.

Stability Helps
"Newborns need stability," says Anju Mader, M.D., a Mercy pediatrician who served on the committee that created the Secret Safe Place for Newborns. Mader ways that the immediate care provided by hospital staff will provide that stability. "Bonding is very important for infants," she says. "If an abandoned baby bonds immediately with a caregiver, the residual effects are nil."

Beyond National Borders
How widespread is the problem of infant abandonment? There were at least two local examples in which abandoned babies' bodies were found in Stark County — one in a landfill and one in a high school rest room. Who knows how many others have been abandoned and not found?

While there are no national statistics on abandoned infants, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a resolution suggesting that local, state and federal governments collect statistics on the number of abandoned newborns. And in a national news survey, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found reports of 105 infants abandoned in public places in 1998, 33 of whom were found dead. In 1991, the survey found reports of 65 abandoned babies, eight of which were found dead.

The problem of abandoned newborns goes beyond national borders. In 2000, the city of Hamburg, Germany instituted a safe place where unwanted babies could be left anonymously without prosecution for abandonment. Similar programs exist in Budapest, Hungary, and Johannesburg, South Africa.

Recent Legislation
Ohio is among several states that have recently enacted laws that grant immunity and anonymity to mothers who turn unwanted infants over to law enforcement or medical institutions rather than abandoning them in public places. Under this law, a mother who wants to reclaim her child after leaving it at a safe place — a medical or law enforcement institution — must submit to a DNA test and a judge's ruling, if a DNA match is found.

In a Mercy brochure about the Secret Safe Place for Newborns, Stark County Prosecuting Attorney Robert D. Horowitz affirms his support for the program. "I fully support this initiative to rescue newborns from injury or death," he writes, adding, "If you are troubled by circumstances such as a hidden pregnancy, I encourage you to take advantage of this service or existing adoption services. While the Stark County Prosecutor's Office will always vigorously prosecute abusive parents, new mothers who relinquish their newborns in accordance with the structure of the Secret Safe Place for Newborns program may do so without fear of prosecution for abandonment or neglect."

To learn more about A Secret Safe Place for Newborns, call the Mercy Medical Center Emergency Room at 330-489-1055.