Frye: Giving Our Most Vulnerable a Chance at Life

This session, Frye supported a bill that he hopes will encourage more facilities to consider installing their own Safe Haven Baby Box.

INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana recently installed its 80th Safe Haven Baby Box, which is four times as many as all other states have combined. In 2020, six infants were surrendered in these boxes, and in 2021, a baby was dropped off at the Clarksville Fire Department's baby box. To help encourage communities to install these life-saving devices, I supported legislation to streamline the process and offer protections to individuals who take a surrendered child into their custody.  

Indiana's Safe Haven law enables a parent to surrender an infant less than 30 days old to any hospital emergency room, fire station, police station or Safe Haven Baby Box within the state without fear of prosecution. Baby boxes are temperature-controlled incubators with an alarm system that is triggered when a child is placed inside. First responders are immediately alerted and are able to rescue the baby and provide critical care.

This session, I supported Senate Bill 185 to clarify that only volunteer fire departments that are not manned 24/7 must have a camera inside any newborn safety device. The bill would also extend liability protections to individuals who work at medical facilities and fire departments when a child is surrendered into their custody. These changes would hopefully encourage more facilities to consider installing their own Safe Haven Baby Box.

In 2021, I also authored a bill helping communities install baby boxes at a volunteer fire station or a facility staffed 24/7 by professional emergency medical service providers. Many communities in Indiana are served primarily, or entirely, by volunteer fire stations, and some communities do not have hospitals. Because of this legislation, a baby box is expected to be installed at the Hanover Township Volunteer Fire Co.

We continue to remain a leader in saving vulnerable, newborn infants and providing them a chance at life. These devices are proven to work, and we are a step closer toward achieving my goal of installing a Safe Haven Baby Box in every county in Indiana. For more information about baby boxes or to donate toward installing one, visit www.shbb.org.