Statewide — HB 1032 Safe Haven Baby Box legislation has passed the Indiana Senate 49-0. The bill will now go back to the House for concurrence and then off to the Governor for his signature.
The bill by Rep. Randy Frye (R-Greensburg) would make it easier for communities to install baby boxes. Indiana’s Safe Haven Law allows a parent to surrender an infant younger than 30 days old. A parent can surrender the baby to any hospital emergency room, fire station, police station, or Safe Haven Baby Box in the state without fear of prosecution.
The bill would allow communities to install a baby box at a volunteer fire station as long as there is a full-time police department. The bill would also allow counties with professional emergency medical service providers with a 24/7 staffed facility to install boxes. Right now, Indiana has 51 Safe Haven Baby Boxes statewide. Five babies were surrendered in the boxes in 2020.
