Jasper recently became the home to the seventh Safe Haven Baby Box located in Alabama.
“Alabama is a place that firmly believes in the sanctity and preciousness of life,” said Sen. Greg Reed, who was at the dedication. “We have fostered a culture of life with the foundational ideal that all children are gifts from God that deserve love and protection, and I am so thankful this new baby box will provide a safe and compassionate option for parents facing the difficult decision to surrender a child. In Alabama, every life matters, and I want to thank everyone who made this wonderful day a reality for our community and state.”
Located at Jasper Fire Department’s Station 1 on 18th Street East in downtown Jasper, the box is at a designated location where parents can anonymously and safely leave an infant they are unable or unwilling to care for.
The process involves opening the box’s secure door, placing the baby inside and then closing the door. Once the door is shut, a sensor alerts authorities to retrieve the baby.
These boxes aim to prevent unsafe abandonment and ensure that infants are placed in proper care, following legal protocols.
Across the country there are more than 250 Safe Haven Baby Box locations.
The newest baby box addition in Jasper is the seventh location in Alabama. Seventeen states have a Baby Box presence. Surrendered infants are adopted by families who have registered for adoption, and local departments of family services coordinate the adoption process.
‘Saving many lives’
“Since the inception of the program, this resource has a track record of saving many lives,” said Andy Frazier, senior pastor of First Baptist Church Jasper, who was asked to pray at the blessing event. “It is something that supports the sanctity of life, and for that I am grateful.”
As part of his prayer, Frazier called on God to bless the first responders, community leaders and families who will serve in this program.
“We thank You for the gift of life, and we believe that every human being is made in Your image … and is to be respected and protected from conception until natural death,” Frazier prayed. “We feel a deep responsibility to safeguard the lives of our community, especially infants.”
In Alabama, other boxes can be found in Tuscaloosa, Prattville, Gadsden, Madison and Dothan.
“We are the only organization in America today that is saving babies in boxes at fire stations and hospitals across the country,” said Monica Kelsey, Safe Haven founder and CEO. “It’s a good day to be here in Jasper to share with all of you the success that we have had.”
When Alabama passed its Safe Haven Baby Box law in January — a law that allows mothers to anonymously surrender infants up to 45 days old at certain locations, including hospitals and fire stations — it marked an important step forward, Kelsey noted.
“I had no idea how important the first box in this state would become,” she said, adding that since January three infants have been surrendered in the state. “We are changing the narrative in all these states, including Alabama. It’s an honor to be here and be a part of this.”
‘My legacy’
Kelsey, a retired firefighter and medic, launched the first Safe Haven Baby Box in Indiana in April 2016.
She recounted the story of a 17-year-old Indiana girl who became pregnant after being brutally attacked and raped in August 1972 and chose to abandon her baby just two hours after it was born in 1973.
“That child was me,” she said. “This is my legacy.”
“That’s why I have the passion to do all the hard work to make this happen,” she added, “Isn’t it amazing how we are here today blessing a box so we don’t have to stand over a grave and bless the box there.
“It’s amazing how many lives are being changed by this,” she said.
Jasper Mayor David O’Mary called the addition “a great thing for the city.”
O’Mary thanked Chase and Jordana Gunter, who first broached the idea of a Safe Haven Baby Box being placed in Jasper.
“Both of our boys are adopted, so that’s something that’s very near and dear to our hearts,” Chase Gunter said. “When the laws in Alabama allowed for this, we approached the city, and they were very open and receptive to that, and we want to thank them for their willingness to listen and to put forth the effort that’s involved in making this happen. If one child’s life is changed because of this, it’s worth all the effort that’s been put forth.”
O’Mary credited Reed and state Rep. Matt Woods with helping to secure a $15,000 Cawaco RC&D grant to make the addition of the Safe Haven Baby Box possible in the city.
He said private donors also provided funding for the project, as well as the Jasper City Council.
“A lot of people helped make this a reality,” O’Mary said, “and we hope it’s something that never has to be used.”
Each year, the number of children surrendered to baby boxes has increased as more baby boxes have become available. Since 2017, 50 infants have been safely and legally surrendered in a Baby Box, and the National Safe Haven Crisis line has assisted with over 150 handoff surrenders.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Ron Harris and originally published by the Daily Mountain Eagle. It has been edited and updated by The Alabama Baptist staff.
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