The NJ Safe Haven Infant Protection Act (SHIP) was passed and signed into law in the summer of 2000.

Assembly Speaker Jack Collins, sitting at table, congratulates NJRTL Public and Legislative Affairs Director Marie Tasy, after signing the NJ Safe Haven Act in July 2000.

Why is the law necessary:

The purpose of the law is to save the lives of newborn babies who would otherwise be abandoned or left to die in unsafe environments. New Jersey and the nation experienced sorrow in the knowledge that newborn infants are sometimes abandoned in life-threatening situations and that some of these children have been harmed or have died as a consequence of their abandonment. New Jersey Right to Life worked with key legislators to draft the NJ Safe Haven Infant Protection Act after researching the matter and working with proponents in other states. The primary sponsors of the law were former Assembly Speaker Jack Collins and Senator Anthony Bucco. We recognized that anonymity, confidentiality and freedom from prosecution may encourage an emotionally distraught parent to leave an infant safely and save the life of both the mother and infant.

What does the law say:

In short, the law gives parents or their designees a way to drop off their unwanted infants younger than 30 days old, unharmed, at a safe place with no questions asked. In return, parents would avoid prosecution.

The specifics:

The law allows a parent to voluntarily deliver the child to and leave the child at, or voluntarily arrange for another person to deliver the child to and leave the child at a State, county or municipal police station or at an emergency department of a licensed general hospital in this State when the child is or appears to be no more than 30 days old, without expressing an intent to return for the child. The child must be delivered unharmed (no signs of abuse or neglect.) The parent or designee dropping off the child is not required to disclose any identifying information or that of the child or the child's parent or provide background information or medical information about the child, but may voluntarily do so. If the child is not claimed within 21 days, then termination of parental rights will begin and the child will be placed in foster care temporarily until permanent placement for adoption can be arranged.

How can I get more information?

Call the toll free 24 hour Safe Haven Hotline at 1-877-839-2339

Safe Haven Act Signed Into Law

New Jersey Right to Life Leads Successful Effort

Senator Tony Bucco, prime sponsor of the Act, with NJRTL Executive Director Dan Clark at the signing ceremony.

After several months of extensive lobbying and education by New Jersey Right to Life, acting Governor Jack Collins signed into law a bill designed to address the growing number of infanticide and baby abandonment cases in the state. On July 7th, 2000 New Jersey Right to Life and several other leading state legislators gathered for the bill signing ceremony at St. Joseph's Hospital in Paterson. At least 20 newborns have been abandoned or killed in New Jersey since 1997, prompting New Jersey Right to Life to lead an effort to pass a law that allows an individual to drop off an infant at emergency rooms of licensed hospitals or police stations without threat of prosecution. The bill was unanimously passed by both houses of the State Legislature in June. Pro-Life Assembly Speaker Jack Collins signed the bill while serving as acting governor. Both Governor Christine Whitman and Senate President Donald DiFrancesco were out of state at the time. The laws went into effect on August 7th, 2000. It is designed to save the lives of newborn infants who would otherwise be abandoned in an unsafe environment, harmed, or killed. The bill seeks to prevent or curtail the types of infanticide cases that have gained national attention in recent years, many of which occurred in New Jersey. Under the proposed law, the child would be placed with potential adoptive parents as soon as possible. Adoption proceedings would be able to begin after 21 days. Mothers who take their newborns to a "safe haven" would not be subject to criminal prosecution for child abandonment. "We want individuals who, for whatever reason, believe they can't care for their child, to feel comfortable bringing the child to a location where it can be properly cared for," Assembly Speaker Collins said. "This is a pro-active, Pro-Life response to the infanticide crisis which has developed in recent years," said NJRTL Public and Legislative Affairs Director Marie Tasy. "As the state's Pro-Life organization, we will continue leading the fight to protect these innocent children" said NJRTL President Traude Barbiero.

NJRTL Continues to Work to Ensure Proper Implementation of Safe Haven Law

Even after the passage of NJ Safe Haven law, NJRTL continues its work to ensure proper implementation by government agencies. It is crucial to monitor the process after a law is passed, said NJRTL Public & Legislative Affairs Director Marie Tasy. NJRTL will continue to monitor public agencies charged with the new Safe Haven law and offer assistance and support for its successful implementation.

Chronology of the Safe Haven Bill