CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Advocates are reminding Illinois residents of the safe haven law after a baby was abandoned last week.
A newborn baby was found inside a dresser drawer in a Northwest Side alley. While the boy was unharmed, advocates say it's an important reminder of the safe haven law.
"Because babies are ending up dead because people don't know about it," Dawn Geras, executive chairperson of the Save Abandoned Babies Foundation, told WBBM Newsradio.
The law allows parents to relinquish an infant at a hospital police station, fire station or emergency medical facility without any legal repercussions. Geras said she's worried about more abandonments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Babies that are not planned for, parents under additional financial stress, that we may end up with more illegal abandonments than ever," she said.
Geras said anyone with questions can call the anonymous tip line at 888-510-BABY.
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