Gentile lauds House passage of safe havens bill

HARTFORD - State Rep. Linda M. Gentile, D-Ansonia, Derby), announced Wednesday a bill she co-sponsored to strengthen protections for individuals caring for infants in the custody of the Department of Children and Families under the state's safe haven program, has passed the House of Representatives.

State Rep. Linda Gentile

““The Safe Havens program is one that has supported women in some of the most desperate moments of their lives,” Gentile said. 
“With Safe Haven, mothers and parents can make decisions with peace of mind and know that their child is protected. I will continue to support anything we can do to improve and strengthen the safe haven law and this bill does just that.”

House Bill #7121 makes various changes to the state's safe haven law: 

• Requires the Department of Children and Families to identify an adoptive parent for a safe haven infant within one business day of receiving notice of the infant's surrender
• Specifies circumstances under which DCF may require DNA tests to determine the infant's parentage
• Limits the circumstances in which DCF may remove a safe haven infant from a prospective adoptive parent's home 
• Clarifies the information a hospital employee may disclose about a safe haven surrender if he or she believes the infant was abused or neglected
• Prohibits DCF from disclosing information about the parents of a safe haven infant to a prospective adoptive parent or foster parent without a court order unless otherwise required by law

Since its passage in 2000, Connecticut’s Safe Havens law has saved 27 infants from abandonment and near certain death. The law allows anyone to drop off a newborn baby (30 days old or younger) at any hospital emergency room in Connecticut. 
The person dropping off the baby will remain anonymous, and the police will not be called. 


This is a press release from Gentile's office.