Baby box bill passes unanimously in House
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – The bill that would legalize newborn surrender boxes passed unanimously on the House floor Thursday.
House Bill 1044 would allow parents to surrender their newborn babies in a climate-controlled locked box instead of an in-person surrender.
'Sometimes a face-to-face surrender is just too much to bear,' said Rep. Bethany Soye, the bill's prime sponsor.
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In states where they're legal, baby boxes are located outside emergency locations like hospitals, police or fire stations. Once someone places a baby inside the box, staff usually retrieve the baby and start doing medical assessments within two minutes.
The bill was named after Baby Gabriel, who was found dead and abandoned in a Sioux Falls recycling center this summer.
Three days after baby Gabriel was found, the organization Safe Haven Baby Box received a phone call from someone with a South Dakota area code, Soye told the House floor.
'It was a new mother who had just given birth and wanted to know where the nearest newborn surrender box was located,' she added. 'Unfortunately, the answer was Fort Dodge, Iowa and it just wasn't possible for her to get there.'
The woman was able to surrender her baby at a hospital as an anonymous 'Jane Doe', but Soye says her call shows the need for baby boxes in the state, as well as people's awareness of them.
The bill wouldn't be a mandate, Soye explained, it just makes non-physical surrenders legal with the boxes. The bill also doesn't provide any state funding, but organizations like Right to Life have indicated their willingness to fund the project, something Rep. Tina Mulally appreciates.
Along with Mulally, Rep. William Shorma expressed his support for the bill during the House floor hearing.
'I think a safe way for people to bring their child to a point where they can anonymously give the child a chance at life, which is a whole lot better option than the alternative,' Shorma said.
All 68 present representatives voted in favor of HB 1044. The bill will now move to Senate committees. The next hearing has not been scheduled yet.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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