11 kids (not babies) left at hospital in 24 hours under safe haven law

[Liberal_in_LA]

http://www.ketv.com/cnn-news/17553170/detail.html

UPDATE: 2 More Kids Abandoned; 11 Total In Past 24 Hours
Governor Urges Parents To Reach Out To Nonprofits

POSTED: 5:11 am CDT September 25, 2008
UPDATED: 12:35 pm CDT September 25, 2008


OMAHA, Neb. -- Two more children have been left at hospitals since a father dropped off his nine children at Creighton University Medical Center Wednesday night.

The state's Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that an 8-year-old boy was taken to Immanuel Hospital at 5 p.m. and an 11-year-old boy was taken to the same hospital at 8:30 p.m.

One of the boys was placed in foster care and the other is still at the hospital undergoing evaluation.

This brings the total number of children left at Omaha hospitals during the past 24 hours to 11.

See a report of all Nebraska's Safe Haven Cases

The man who left all nine of his children, ages 1 through 17, at the hospital Wednesday night will not be charged because of the Safe Haven law, which states any child under the age of 19 can be left at a hospital if they're in immediate danger.

[napi21]

1. That's awful. Is this happening across the country or are things in

Omaha that bad?

[jwirr]

6. Not all states have safe haven laws. I wonder if this is about the coming

depression? In 1929 one of the wives in our family was dropped off at an adoption home in Iowa with her sister and two brothers because of two reasons: poverty and alcoholism. Fortunately she and her sisters and one brother were all adopted by the same family. When a parent can no longer help their child it is a good solution. It is also one of the reasons that AFDC or child welfare was instituted by FDR.

[Fleshdancer]

2. did they ask where/who the mom(s) are?

my first gut reaction is wondering if the mother is still alive.

[Yavin4]

3. This Happened During The Great Depression

Parents abandoned their children.

[ReadTomPaine]

4. Lawmakers having buyers remorse over passing bill...

From the article:

Nebraska lawmakers said they may need to clarify the law, which was intended to protect newborn children, if a parent is overwhelmed.

Further, Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman called for an amendment to the state's Safe Haven law Thursday, saying lawmakers likely wrote the bill too broad of a stroke.

"I'm absolutely surprised. When this bill was being discussed in the legislature, we had the discussion that this was going to be about young children and when they were in immediate danger," Heineman said at an opening for an early childhood care center in Millard. "Like the rest of the country, we wanted to be there to help. Unfortunately they wrote the language too broad. We now need to amend that to change that."

"There seems to be a misconception that when a child is dropped off at a hospital, the parents are absolved of responsibility. That couldn't be further from the truth," said Toddy Landry, director of the Division of Children and Family Services in Department of Health and Human Services.

Landry said in a press release Thursday that the courts will get involved in the lives of families who drop off children.

How about some JOBS and a real safety net so people of limited means, education or ability don't have to live out a Dickensian nightmare like this? Also worth commenting on is the bait and switch attitude on display from GOP state government - so much for 'safe haven' - they're now scaring people off from doing it. "Well we didn't expect people to actually USE this law as written! We just wanted a few baby photo ops!"

[rvablue]

5. This is absolutely heartbreaking!

[K Gardner]

7. We're getting ready to see the mass return of state-run orphanages.

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. I bet Newt Gingrich will head that up

[uppityperson]

9. I'm glad there is a mechanism to allow this. Feel very sorry for all involved.

Won't cast judgment until I find out more of the whys.