Action 3 News - Omaha, Nebraska News, Weather, and Sports | Lincoln Mayor Supports Safe Haven Law
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Lincoln, NE - Lincoln's City Council will be asked to support a safe haven law in Nebraska. Safe haven laws allow parents to leave children at hospitals, police or fire stations without criminal prosecution. Nebraska is one of two states that does not have a safe haven law. Lincoln city council member Robin Eschliman will ask the council to support a statewide safe haven law and encourage the Nebraska Legislature to pass it.
Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler, a former state senator, supports the resolution, "The tragedy of an unwanted child is only magnified when a baby's life or health is threatened. Hopefully, the enactment of a baby safe haven law will help prevent these situations and allow us to find loving guardians for these children."
Here in Omaha, two newborns have been abandoned recently, including an hours-old baby boy left in a bathroom at Bergan-Mercy Hospital on Labor Day. The baby is in foster care and his teenage mother is asking the court to return him to her. She is the mother of a two-year-old and told police she was scared and overwhelmed at the thought of caring for another child. The other baby was found in a parking lot hours after he was born. The mother was never found. He was placed in a foster home.
A safe haven law has been introduced in the legislature, but has not passed. Alaska is the only other state that does not have a safe haven law.
Reported by Carrie Murphy, cmurphy@action3news.com
