GALVESTON, Texas - Galveston fire stations, EMS stations and designated areas at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston are official Baby Moses sites, or safe havens, where mothers can leave their newborns (up to 60 days old) with no questions asked and no fear of prosecution if the baby is unharmed.
Babies left at a Baby Moses site will receive an examination and eventually be placed with a family. Mothers may voluntarily disclose background and medical information, but are not legally required to do so under the Baby Moses or safe haven law. The law seeks to protect newborns and provide an alternative to mothers who might otherwise abandon, neglect or harm a newborn child.
The large yellow and black Safe Baby Site signs are placed in prominent locations. There are two signs outside UTMB's Emergency Room, two at the entrance to the R. Waverley Smith Pavilion and one at the entrance to the labor and delivery area in John Sealy Hospital.
"UTMB is an active participant in the safety of the public, so it is only natural that we are a Safe Baby Site," said Jennifer Nitschmann, director of Patient Care Services and assistant chief nursing officer for UTMB.
Each of Galveston's six fire stations and three EMS stations will also display the signs. EMS stations in Hitchcock and in Bacliff are designated safe havens as well.
A baby left at a fire station or EMS station will be transported to the nearest hospital for immediate medical care. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services will then take custody and place the child with a caring family.
According to Baby Moses Dallas representatives, more than 100 babies in Texas are abandoned each year, and about 16 of those infants are found dead. An unknown number of murdered babies are never found.
The Baby Moses Project was first adopted in Texas in 1999 to address the increase in abandoned newborns. The group responsible for establishing the project chose the name Baby Moses because, in addition to being placed in a basket, Moses was also carefully watched over by an anonymous protector until he was safely placed in the arms of a person who could provide the love and care necessary for life.