First lady dedicates day to Safe Haven Law

Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Former state lawmaker Gayle Berry was ridiculed when she pushed for a "Baby Moses" law to allow mothers who might abandon their newborns to drop them off at a safe location instead.

Fifteen babies have been left at so-called safe havens since the law was passed in 2000.

Berry, who now lobbies at the Statehouse, stood at the foot of the west steps of the Capitol on Tuesday as first lady Jeannie Ritter read a proclamation making it Save Haven for Newborns Day in Colorado.

"Today is about raising the level of awareness around this law," Ritter said.

Also on Tuesday, the House unanimously supported a resolution by Rep. Jim Riesberg, D- Greeley, that encourages high schools and colleges to educate students on the Safe Haven Law and the options it provides.

A day earlier, the Senate supported the same resolution, by Sen. Suzanne Williams, D-Aurora.

Berry, who represented Grand Junction, and former state Sen. Gloria Tanner, of Denver, fought for the Baby Moses law to try to eliminate "dumpster babies" - newborns abandoned in places where they might die.

The law allows parents to drop off newborns 3 days old or younger at fire and police stations with no questions asked. No charges are filed if the baby is OK.

"We had lawmakers who really fought against this," Berry said.

Riesberg said safe haven laws and awareness efforts are not the "final answer to the social problems contributing to the cause of infant abandonment, but they provide a compassionate approach to saving the lives of innocent babies.

"The law provides a positive outcome for all involved. A child's life is saved. A mother or father is saved from anguish and guilt and from possible imprisonment.

The hopes of a family waiting to adopt a child are fulfilled."