Decatur City Council takes steps to become second city in Alabama with Safe Haven Baby Box following Madison

The City of Decatur has moved closer to becoming the second city in Alabama with a Safe Haven Baby Box. The city of Madison was the first in the state and has already successfully received two babies, with the first just 12 days after installation. The Decatur City Council approved a resolution on Monday for the initial set-up costs for the Safe Haven Baby Box.

The resolution authorizes $3,500 to the Decatur-Morgan Hospital Foundation. It incorporates initial start-up funds and a $500 annual stipend to serve "a public purpose and enhance the general well-being of our city."

The location has yet to be determined, but Mayor Tab Bowling has previously suggested the most appropriate place would be at Decatur-Morgan Hospital or one of its properties.

When opened and a baby is placed inside, the box sends an alert to first responders, who arrive to check the baby's condition. They then take it to the nearest hospital for a complete check-up.

From there, the local county Department of Human Resources (DHR) must be notified. DHR takes immediate care, custody and control of the infant and will then follow its process to find a proper placement for the child.

These boxes allow a mother to safely and legally surrender an infant anonymously whom she may not have the ability to care for.

This is all possible because Kids to Love began working on expanding the state's Safe Haven law in the spring of 2023 when it became apparent that changing abortion laws would lead to more children in need of a loving home in Alabama.

State Rep. Donna Givens (R-Loxley) sponsored the bill last year to allow baby boxes to be placed across the state. Parents can surrender their babies up to 45 days after birth with no questions asked. Under the old law, babies could not be surrendered within 72 hours. "Thanks to the new law, it is 45 days," said Givens.

The Legislature passed House Bill 473 later that year, expanding the law to allow a mother to surrender a child under 45 days old to fire stations that are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week year-round, provided they have at least one emergency medical services personnel.

Following the first baby being placed in Madison's Safe Haven Box, Givens said. "I am just in tears," she added, "So excited. I've already thanked God because this was a little girl who, who knows what would have happened. Now we know she is in a safe place, and she will be in the arms of loving parents one day."

Mobile and Baldwin Counties are next on the list to receive the boxes, as they have already received donors. Givens, Kids to Love, and Safe Haven Baby Boxes are all looking to expand across the state as they see this as one of the most effective pro-life tools in the arsenal for mothers who may not be ready for motherhood or are just unable to take care of the child mentally/physically.