Lawmakers draw attention to Connecticut's Safe Haven Law
MERIDEN, Conn. (WTNH) — On every Jan. 2, Meriden police hold a ceremony to honor a baby they named 'David Paul.' That is the day back in 1988 when he was found at the base of a tree. He had been left by a troubled mother.
'We will never forget. We made a promise,' said former Meriden Police Chief Robert Kosienski. 'We'll never forget. We did adopt him and he's ours.'
Kosienski was the police chief at the time and he would later testify at hearings about the Safe Haven Law which was passed in 2000.
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'I told them all about David Paul. How the baby was found. How it never should have happened and if they had that law in place the baby would have been alive and safe,' said the former chief. 'It's a shame it wasn't in place at the time and a woman didn't know what to do.'
The law allows mothers of a newborn baby to drop the baby off at a hospital emergency room anonymously without punishment.
'So often I hear well this legislation may save lives. Guess what. This one does,' said State Rep. Tim Ackert. '59 as a matter of fact.'
Each year, lawmakers hold a press conference to remind people of the law and the choice for mothers who may be in distress.
'The person who drops off the baby is given a matching wrist band so if they decide within the next 30 days that they would like to reunify with the baby they go back and it would be through DCF,' explained former State Rep. Pam Sawyer.
Some Republican lawmakers are hoping to expand the law by bringing so-called 'baby boxes' to Connecticut.
'This provides an opportunity to leave an infant enclosed attached to a hospital or other facility,' said State Sen. Heather Somers.
Right now the baby is handed to a nurse or staff member in an emergency room but some say some mothers may be too fearful to do that in person.
'I'm open to exploring ways to improve the law but I love Connecticut's law because of the warm transfer,' said Carl Schiessl with the Connecticut Hospital Association.
'This is just another opportunity to have an added measure of protection and safety for those in a really vulnerable position,' said Somers.
The bill which would provide for the so-called 'baby boxes' did not make it out of the public safety committee but may be re-introduced later.
The Safe Haven Law has been expanded over the years. It is now taught to students in school because sometimes teenagers are affected.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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