Option for parents that cannot care for newborns
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — In 1997, Kerry Mazzuca abandoned her newborn son’s body in the soil of a flower bed near the Moses Statue in Albany's Washington Park after smothering him. Back then, there wasn’t an option for leaving the child in a safe place. But three years later that changed.
New York’s Abandoned Infant Protection Act was passed in 2000, allowing parents to leave unharmed newborns at safe haven sites without being prosecuted. As of 2010, you can leave a newborn up to 30 days after birth.
Deputy Commissioner Gail Geohagen-Pratt from the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) Child Welfare & Community Services Division described how many babies’ situations were covered by the act.
“We looked at data from 2013 to June of 2022,” said Geohagen-Pratt. “We found that within that span of time there were 48 incidents which met the requirements of the Abandoned Infant Protection Act” she went on.
Near Samaritan Hospital on Albany’s Northern Boulevard, you’ll see a sign designating the hospital as a safe place to leave an infant, one of many in our area.
“Hospitals, fire stations, police stations, things along those lines” Geohagen-Pratt elaborated.
What about parents who cannot care for an infant older than the Protection Act’s 30-day threshold?
“Whether it’s through adoption, whether it’s through child welfare or if it’s through being able to …leverage existing family and friends resources… through, we have kinship care as well” Geohagen-Pratt explained.
If you cannot care for your newborn infant CLICK HERE for resources.