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A new child has been surrendered to Florida’s solely Protected Haven Child Field for the primary time because it was put in two years in the past.
Ocala Fireplace Rescue introduced “the arrival of the division’s first surrendered newborn” at a press convention on Thursday.
The climate-controlled field was used “over the vacation,” Protected Haven Child Bins founder Monica Kelsey mentioned in an announcement, based on NBC affiliate WESH.
Kelsey applauded the dad or mum for surrendering their toddler, and praised the group for being ready, per the outlet.
“We all know this child can be so liked by an adoptive household,” Kelsey mentioned, “and we’re so thrilled to be part of defending infants from abandonment.”
Ocala Fireplace Rescue’s Child Field was installed on the division’s headquarters in 2020, based on CBS affiliate WKMG-TV and NBC affiliate WFLA.
Florida’s sole child field is considered one of 134 that may be discovered throughout america, permitting folks to anonymously give up a child to the authorities, per the retailers.
Every field initially prices $10,000 earlier than it’s leased out for $200 a month, based on WKMG-TV. The containers include temperature controls and a silent alarm that alerts firefighters to a child’s presence within the field 60 seconds after a toddler is positioned inside.
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Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn was happy to see the field assist the kid, whom he known as a “miracle child,” based on WKMG-TV and WESH.
“I knew once we did this in 2020, today would come – all of us did – we simply did not know when,” Guinn mentioned, per the retailers. “We’re glad it was there as a useful resource.”
There have been 23 infants placed in baby boxes because the program started in Nov. 2017, based on Protected Haven’s web site. The group says it has assisted with seven adoption referrals along with over 100 authorized Protected Haven surrenders.
However this system has its critics. Some recommend child containers supply an avenue for folks to give up youngsters with out parental consent, whereas others be aware simply how few infants are surrendered every year. (The Nationwide Protected Haven Alliance says 33 infants had been illegally deserted and 115 had been saved within the U.S. in 2021.)
Protected Haven has additionally referred over 500 ladies to disaster being pregnant facilities, that are closely criticized for offering deceptive and inaccurate data concerning sexual and reproductive well being, based on the Society for Adolescent Well being and Drugs and the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology.
These services “try and dissuade pregnant people from contemplating abortion” and continuously use “misinformation and unethical practices” to take action, based on an Oct. 2019 assertion from the teams.
However there apparently is growing interest in child containers in Florida. Kelsey mentioned the group is presently discussing the set up of extra child containers in varied areas throughout the state, based on NPR.
“The process is working,” Kelsey mentioned at Thursday’s press convention, per the Ocala StarBanner.
