‘A God-Given Purpose’: Baby Boxes Save Infants
By Movieguide® Contributor
A new law has been passed to protect newborn babies in Wisconsin.
The Safe Haven Baby Box program, founded by Monica Kelsey, allows mothers to surrender their babies to a safe place, such as a fire station, police station or hospital.
“A Baby Box is a safety device provided for under state’s Safe Haven Law and legally permits a mother in crisis to safely, securely, and anonymously surrender if they are unable to care for their newborn,” the website explains.
“A Baby Box is installed in an exterior wall of a designated fire station or hospital. It has an exterior door that automatically locks upon placement of a newborn inside the Baby Box, and an interior door which allows a medical staff member to secure the surrendered newborn from inside the designated building,” Safe Haven Baby Box adds.
Fox News reported that the new law in Wisconsin permits “a parent to leave an infant younger than 72 hours old at a fire department, police department or hospital.”
Kelsey began the program because of her personal experience: she was once an abandoned baby.
“I didn’t know my beginnings,” she told Fox News. “My adoptive parents were told when they adopted me that my birth parents were young and they couldn’t care for me, so they placed me for adoption, and that was not even close to the truth.”
Kelsey later learned that her mother became pregnant with her at the age of 17 after being raped.
“She was taken out of high school, not allowed to go back. She was hidden for the remainder of the pregnancy. And then she gave birth in April 1973 and abandoned her child two hours after the child was born. And that child ended up to be me,” she continued.
Kelsey thanks God that she is able to use her story to help babies today.
“How blessed am I to have been abandoned but now be saving abandoned children,” she said. “And it’s just it’s a God-given purpose. I don’t take it lightly. I take it very seriously. And now I’m traveling the country doing His work.”
In addition to the Baby Box, Kelsey gifts each infant her book “Blessed to Have Been Abandoned” to eventually help them deal with the emotions that come with being an abandoned baby.
“And they’re going to struggle one day. They’re going to struggle. One day they’re going to struggle to find their worth, but I want them to know that they’re not alone,” she said.
A similar practice in South Korea was the focus of the documentary THE DROP BOX.
Part of Movieguide®’s review reads:
THE DROP BOX is a documentary about a man named Lee, who pastors a church in Seoul, South Korea. One day, Pastor Lee discovers an abandoned newborn on his church’s doorsteps and courageously decides to build a “drop box” to rescue future orphans. Pastor Lee and his wife are already raising their own severely physically disabled child. They adopt 15 other children found in the drop box. Several of them are also battling severe physical disabilities. All have been abandoned by their mothers, most of whom are teenagers.
THE DROP BOX is a powerful documentary that encourages viewers to contemplate pro-life issues in a profound way. The entire movie is beautifully shot, with some marvelous images of Seoul. The movie’s Christian worldview views the subjects of abandonment and adoption in a biblical context. It uses biblical passages like Genesis 1:27 and Galatians 4:4-7 to affirm life and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which makes believers adopted sons of the Most High God. THE DROP BOX is an inspiring pro-life documentary that media-wise viewers may want to put on their must-see list.
Safe Haven Boxes are currently active in 22 US states, with goals to continue implementing them in more states and save lives.
