Nebraska's new "Safe Haven" law.

[Scandinavisksoldat]

What do you think about Nebraska's law allowing any kids, age 0-19, to be dropped off and abandoned at hospitals regardless of circumstances?

"While lawmakers may not have intended it, the month-old law raises the possibility that frustrated parents could drop off misbehaving teens or even severely disabled older children with impunity."
-from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,409262,00.html

[Sidmen]

I support it, too many parents are expected to just put up with their kids for 18+ years unless they decide to 'abandon' them at birth. Sorry, but thats horribly unjustified IMO. Financial trouble may sneak up on you when you kid is 10 or so, and when it does its better to drop off your kid at a hospital for social services to take care of instead of having him/her live out of your car.

It also allows parents in abusive relationships to drop off their child to be taken care of without endangering them while attempting to flee.

[Scandinavisksoldat]

So you think we should give Nebraska parents an 'easy-way-out'? Encourage them to fail?

[Sidmen]

Yeah, because - now that their kids won't be subject to horrible conditions if they fail - they'll totally want to ruin their, and their kid's lives.

Did you think that through?

[Scandinavisksoldat]

Yeah, because - now that their kids won't be subject to horrible conditions if they fail - they'll totally want to ruin their, and their kid's lives.

Did you think that through?

The point is, there will now be many more parental failures and many more failing and misbehaved teens in school...
I'm concerned that this new option will be over-used.

[Thanatos]

I'm concerned that this new option will be over-used.

You have to even bother asking? Of course it'll be abused and over-used!

[Scandinavisksoldat]

You have to even bother asking? Of course it'll be abused and over-used!

I wonder if some of my Nebraska relatives are considering using it to abandon their ill-behaved son...

luckily, I'm one state over, so no abandoning here!

I think the current law here in CO is up to 1 year old.

Yes, I believe we've got that here...

in California, it only works within 32 hours or something similar to that...

[Cluny the Scourge]

The point is, there will now be many more parental failures and many more failing and misbehaved teens in school...
I'm concerned that this new option will be over-used.

There will be no more parental failures and failing teens than there were before the legislation, but those cases that already existed will now not have to suffer in silence.

[Oglethorpe1983]

Who didnt see this coming.....

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h...zzToAD93DPJO84

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nine children were left at a hospital by their father late Wednesday under the state's new safe haven law, a move officials say illustrates the problems many feared when the rule went into effect.
The father, who was not identified, left the children aged 1 to 17 at Creighton University Medical Center's emergency room.
The law, which went into effect in July, allows caregivers to abandon children at any state-licensed hospital without fear of prosecution. It was initially intended to protect infants — like similar laws in other states — but was amended to include children and teenagers.
At least four children between the ages of 11 and 15 have been abandoned by parents since the law took effect.
The nine youngsters surrendered Wednesday are OK, said Kathie Osterman, a spokeswoman for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. She didn't know how many were boys or girls, or why their father left them.
More information will be available at a late morning news conference, Osterman said.
Nebraska was the last state in the nation to adopt a safe-haven law. Under previous law, a parent who abandoned a baby could have been charged with child neglect or abandonment, both misdemeanors, or child abuse, a felony.
State Sen. Arnie Stuthman said he introduced the bill intending to protect infants. In a compromise with senators worried about arbitrary age limits, the measure was expanded to include the word "child."
The law doesn't further define child, and some have interpreted that to mean anyone in Nebraska under the age of 19. Others have taken the common law meaning of child — those under age 14.
Abandoning teenagers was not the original intent of the law, Stuthman said Thursday.
"People are leaving them off just because they can't control them," he said. "They're probably in no real danger, so it's an easy way out for the caretaker

Anyone could have told you this was going to happen... Way to go Nebraska....and it only took two months

[Sphere]

Nebraska? Didn't even know they had a state government. I thought they just talked things over at Country Kitchen Buffet on Sundays. You have to admit, the results would be the same.

[Oglethorpe1983]

Oh course, put more of a burden on the state...

let me trell you something... I dont come from the Rockafellers or Rothchilds here... my parents never had that much money... do you wanna know what my dad did when things got tough? He got a second job!

What kind of terrible precident would this set...

Its one thing for the state to care for a kid becuase of tradegy (death of parents) or serious abuse or becuase the are unable to care for them (due to drug abuse or something)..but not becuase its a choice between cable and little johnny's braces.

I will be honest I havent heard of this prior to this post.... but I am sickened by it... I hope this thing gets repealed in a hurry

[Thanatos]

At any time, whenever, 0-19?

That's.... that's not right, man.

[danzig]

I can picture it now "you will study to become a lawyer or Im going to abandon you!" to an 18 year old.

[GrnEyedDvl]

I think the current law here in CO is up to 1 year old.

[Sidmen]

I'm concerned that this new option will be over-used.

As far as I'm aware, a similar law in my state has caused no more cases of abandonment - just stopped the police from having to arrest the down-and-out parents and spending all that time/money throwing em in jail for abandonment...

Of course, our law allows you to leave them off at police stations/Firehouses/Hospitals... No questions asked.

I think your drastically overestimating the abuse of this, because unlike many people think - parents rarely if ever want to get rid of their kids permanently.

[Scandinavisksoldat]

As far as I'm aware, a similar law in my state has caused no more cases of abandonment - just stopped the police from having to arrest the down-and-out parents and spending all that time/money throwing em in jail for abandonment...

Of course, our law allows you to leave them off at police stations/Firehouses/Hospitals... No questions asked.

I think your drastically overestimating the abuse of this, because unlike many people think - parents rarely if ever want to get rid of their kids permanently.

Now which state is this? And what are their age limits?

[Ishoss]

Adjusting the age to, I dunno, 0-3 would be better...

[Winter]

Think about it this way - anyone who would use the law to just abandon a child for being unruly or naughty probably is an abusive person at heart and shouldn't be able to have children. If the law wasn't in place, those same parents might start abusing their kids physically, and then we'd have DCF getting involved.

Now I'm not advocating the abandonment of children, but I understand the reasoning behind it.

[Thanatos]

That's the problem with humanity. There's a problem with both choices.

[Sidmen]

Now which state is this? And what are their age limits?

Indiana, and it turns out that its only like 45 days old... Which kinda makes me mad because they didn't mention that when they ran an ad campaign about it like a month ago...

Personally, Anything 0-18 (age of concent, able to work, adult, ect) is the only reasonable option.. Telling a parent that they are forced to take care of a child even after they loose their job, get kicked out of the apartment, and end up living in their car in a camping ground/someone's field is totally ridiculous.