3 new Safe Haven Baby Boxes opening in Tennessee, Kentucky
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Safe Haven Baby Boxes, the organization that provides a safe place for mothers to surrender infants anonymously, announced three new boxes will be unveiled this week in Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky.
According to the organization, 52 infants have been safely surrendered to Safe Haven boxes since 2017. With these new additions, there will be a total of 275 Safe Haven Baby Boxes across 17 states.
In the United States, infant surrendering laws vary by state. However, in both Tennessee and Kentucky, mothers in crisis can surrender their babies to a Baby Box without face-to-face interactions with first responders. Additional resources about the rules regarding infant surrendering can be found at shbb.org.
On Monday, Oct. 16, a Baby Box will officially open at Murfreesboro Fire Rescue. An opening event will take place at 2 p.m. at the fire station.
Tuesday, the 12th Baby Box in Tennessee will open in Coffee County. The official “unlocking” of the box will take place at the Tullahoma Fire Department at 4 p.m.
In Kentucky, the Glasgow Fire Department in Barren County will officially open their box the following day on Oct. 16 at noon. The fire department is located at 203 S. Broadway St.
Women in crisis can call or text the free, 24/7 Safe Haven Crisis Line at 1-866-99BABY1.