A mother turned over her newborn daughter to authorities at a hospital in Los Angeles under the county’s “Safe Surrender” program, it was announced Tuesday.
The infant was taken into protective custody on Friday and will be placed for adoption by the county’s Department of Children and Family Services, as is standard practice, Supervisor Don Knabe said.
It’s the second time this month that a mother has turned over a newborn.
“It’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to give up a child, but these mothers bravely made the better choice for their baby girls,” Knabe said. “No shame. No blame. No names.”
It was the sixth “safe surrender” in the county this year and the 130th since 2001, when Knabe initiated the program that allows the surrender of an infant that is no more than three days old, as long as the baby shows no signs of abuse.
“We need to continue spreading the word that there is a safe, secure and anonymous way for mothers who find themselves in a desperate situation to get their baby into safe hands — at any fire station or hospital, any time,” Knabe said.
To learn more about program, visit the website www.babysafela.org. Information on adopting a child is available at www.lacdcfs.org.