Newborn found in a trash bin. On a doorstep. In a park.

        Ohio is following the lead of Hamilton County and 14 other states in trying to wipe away such headlines with a law that would allow desperate parents to drop off their infants at hospitals or other safe places.

        The state Senate passed the safe haven bill 31-0 Thursday amid a rush of legislation before the General Assembly recesses. The House, which passed it 92-4, will vote on the Senate's slightly amended version Tuesday. The measure will then go to Gov. Bob Taft, who has said he will sign it.

        “It's just a very sad thing when a baby's found in a garbage dump or a bathroom when you know so many people want to adopt babies,” said sponsor Cheryl Winkler, a House Republican from Colerain Township.

TO GET HELP

For information about Hamilton County's “Secret, Safe Place for Newborns” program, call the United Way Helpline, 721-7900.

        The bill allows a parent to give a newborn to an emergency technician, police officer or hospital employee within 72 hours of birth without fear of prosecution.

        Hospitals don't expect a deluge of babies on their doorsteps: No one has taken advantage of Hamilton County's 4-month-old program yet and just one or two babies have been dropped off in several states that passed similar laws recently.

        “These aren't events that occur every day, and that's a good thing,” said Nancy Strassel, vice president of the Greater Cincinnati Health Council, which helped set up Hamilton's program.

        Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati's Joe Gubasta applauded the safe haven idea.

        “It speaks well of humanity in general to look at this as an option,” he said. “We live in a culture of death in some respects.”

        Ohio will join Indiana and 13 other states in passing safe haven laws, and a dozen are considering or have considered doing so. In Kentucky, a bill was introduced but did not pass.

        There's little evidence of an upswing in abandonments, said Michael Kharfen, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It's usually an act of panic by an isolated young woman.

        In the most recent local incidents, Carin Madden, 20, of Butler County, got life in prison for putting her infant in the trash in August 1999. The baby died. Her attorneys said Ms. Madden had mental problems that enabled her to block out her pregnancy.

        Deborah Mackey, 39, also of Butler County, put her baby in a trash can at the Franklin factory where she worked after giving birth prematurely in December 1998. Holly Ann Mackey later died of an unrelated birth defect, and Ms. Mackey was sent to prison for six years. Her attorney said she was temporarily insane.

        One question raised is: If those who abandon their newborns are not thinking rationally, will they be informed enough to know about the safe-haven option and to use it?

        Perhaps, Ms. Strassel and Mr. Kharfen said.

        “Given the alternative of a child that could lose his or her life ... if you can save a life, it's worth the effort,” Mr. Kharfen said.
        A couple of Ohio lawmakers, however, have reservations in spite of voting for the safe haven bill.

        Sen. Doug White, a Manchester Republican, said it may send the wrong message. What motive do teens have to avoid premarital sex, “if you know there's very little responsibility and there's an easy resolution to your predicament?” he said.

        Among the provisions of Ohio's bill:

        • The parent can remain anonymous. He or she would be requested but not required to provide medical information about the baby.

        • The bill creates a procedure allowing juvenile courts to accept the baby and place it into the state child care system.

        • A parent who later wants the child back must submit to a DNA test.

        • The bill does not protect the parents of a child who has been neglected or abused.

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