A teenager petitions to save babies in America after being abandoned as an infant in China.
Live Action reported that Isabella Lamkin, a teenager now living in Louisville, Kentucky wants to save babies in her state with the help of Safe Haven Baby Boxes. She was abandoned herself when she was just a baby.
For Lamkin, the baby boxes and the organization behind it is important to her seeing that it is a way for babies "to have a chance at life."
"This organization is important to me, because I want these little babies that may be abused, neglected, or just left somewhere to die to be able to have a chance, to have a family that can love them, the way my family loves me. To have a chance at life, to explore the world and maybe they can even find something that they are compassionate about when they grow up," she wrote in her Change.org petition.
Under the Safe Haven Baby laws, also known as the "Baby Moses" laws, a newborn baby can be safely and legally handed over to first responders if their birth mother or parents cannot care for them.
With this law, mothers can protect their babies from undue harm in the event that they cannot care for their newborns for any reason. According to Lamkin, the law allows parents to "give up children that they cannot care for without fear."
Just like Lamkin, the founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, Monica Kelsey, was also abandoned when she was just a baby.
Lamkin's petition is a step towards her vision of bringing the baby boxes to Kentucky where she is now living with her adopted parents. The teenager wants to build awareness by making people, especially mothers who feel alone and have no choice but to abandon their babies at birth.
In an interview with LEX18, Lamkin shared that she wants to ask the state's permission to help people understand the program.
"We also want the permission from the State of Kentucky to do this. We don't want to be the red-headed stepchild in another state that's coming into your state just because; we want people to understand the program."
Kelsey added that while the Safe Haven Baby Boxes can be an option for women, they also have the choice not to use it if they want to especially for parents who prefer greater anonymity.
"They can continue to use the Safe Haven law as it is now," she adds.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes are considered a safe and secure way to leave babies in before they can be received by first responders since the boxes are clean, monitored, temperature controlled and even have motion sensors.
As explained, a silent alarm is triggered when a parent opens the door of a baby box that is usually placed in places like hospitals, police stations or fire stations. Once the motion sensors are triggered, a silent alarm is sent out and a call goes to 911. Once the first responders arrive to where the Safe Haven Baby Boxes are located, the baby is brought to the nearest hospital for further examination and is kept safe.
As of now, 1,460 people and counting have signed the petition to pass the legislation to bring Safe Haven Baby Boxes in Kentucky.
