Save Abandoned Babies Foundation

The Save Abandoned Babies Foundation is a US nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing the illegal abandonment of newborn infants by raising awareness about safe and legal alternatives. The foundation focuses on promoting the Safe Haven law, which allows parents to safely relinquish their newborns without facing prosecution.

Mission

The primary mission of the Save Abandoned Babies Foundation is to spread awareness about the Safe Haven law, providing desperate parents with a safe option for surrendering their newborns. This law allows parents to hand over their unharmed newborns, up to thirty days old, to designated safe havens across the state of Illinois. These safe havens include police stations, fire stations, hospitals, and emergency medical facilities. Once surrendered, the newborns are placed with loving adoptive families.

Operations

The organization operates by educating the public about the Safe Haven law, emphasizing the anonymous nature of the surrender process and the absence of prosecution. This effort aims to reduce the number of unsafe abandonments, which have resulted in tragic outcomes. Since the Safe Haven Act was passed in 2001, over 160 newborns have been safely relinquished in Illinois alone, demonstrating the impact of such awareness efforts.

Governance

The Save Abandoned Babies Foundation is governed by a board of directors, which includes members such as Genie Kutchins as President and Tahj McDaniel as Vice President. The board follows best practices in governance, including formal orientations for new board members and ethics policies to ensure transparency and accountability.

Impact

The foundation's efforts have been crucial in saving the lives of many newborns who might otherwise have been abandoned in unsafe conditions. According to reports, it has contributed to saving over 100 babies that were then adopted by loving families. The work of the Save Abandoned Babies Foundation highlights the importance of public awareness and education in life-saving initiatives.