Guess where I am.

[kyburg]

Yaup.

Something that crossed the screen this morning got my attention - check this out:

"The main interest I have is that it gives the mother or a parent another option of what to do with a child before they do something drastic," he said.

Welcome to the latest version of a Safe Haven law - from the last state to develop one. You're familiar with Safe Haven laws, right? Where you can take your kid to a identified location, drop off the kid, and don't even have to wave goodbye?

This one goes to 19. That's years of age, folks.

This has been on the books since July 18th - no case of it being used as such as well, but I'm just waiting for the first really difficult-to-manage kid shows up at an ER.

Comments

[machineplay.livejournal.com]

I hate the idea, but it is better than all the dead kids we've seen in the news. I honestly think some people should NOT be parents, and there should be an out for them when they figure that out. I do think it's in the best interests of a child not to be in a situation where someone would drop them off and walk away. I'm waiting for the kids who show up there themselves. I know a girl, adopted by a family friend, who took herself to the police station at the age of six, suitcase in hand, and told them to find her a new family. It probably saved her life.

[chipuni.livejournal.com]

I'm waiting for the first babysitter to leave a troublesome six-year-old at a hospital.

[reannon.livejournal.com]

Does it suck for the kid? Absolutely. But it beats being abused mentally or physically, starved and ignored or actually murdered. It's an imperfect solution and it's disgusting how people treat their children, but there are far, far worse things.

[jrittenhouse.livejournal.com]

What they said.

[jrittenhouse.livejournal.com]

Erk.

[singingpatient.livejournal.com]

i first read this as the *parent* can be up to 19. that *child* can be as old as 19? hell i'd have dropped myself off!

[singingpatient.livejournal.com]

yeah but it also gives an out for people who are just lazy. OTOH, it also gives somewhere for folks to go who just can't afford to raise a child. in my family, my "grandfather" (he abandoned the family when my mom was 2, so he is only biologically a grandfather) was separated from his 3 siblings because the family was broke. one child ended up in an orphanage and never got out. after the orphanage he was in various institutions. very sad.

the problem is the public announcement of the lack of commitment. when you're given an easy out, you take it. my uncle duane lived in an institution all his life, but the other 3 kids had extended family raise them, adn they went on to have something of a life.

i'm all for stopping the babies getting thrown away. but for the older kids...
complicated. they will always have abandonment issues.

[moropus.livejournal.com]

Its better to drop the kid off than have a situation that is truly out of control and spiraling to the point where either the child or the parent end up in the emergency room. Yes, kids do beat their parents.