HARTFORD, CT — Twenty-five years after Connecticut enacted a law designed to protect newborns and mothers in crisis, lawmakers, advocates, and medical professionals gathered Thursday at the Legislative Office Building to reflect on its impact and call for renewed public awareness.

The state’s Safe Havens Act for Newborns, enacted in 2000, allows a parent to voluntarily and anonymously surrender an infant who is 30 days old or younger at any hospital emergency room, with no questions asked and no fear of prosecution for abandonment, provided there are no signs of abuse or neglect.

Lori Stewart, legislative liaison for the Catholic Conference of Public Affairs and host of the event, called the bill a unifier.

“No matter where you land or fall in the political, social, economic spectrum, we can all more or less come to a point where we believe that a mother in distress and a newborn baby at risk are worth a fighting chance at a potential positive outcome,” she said.

Carl Schiessel, speaking for the Connecticut Hospital Association, said 37 emergency departments across the state are designated Safe Haven sites. At each location there are signs designating the site as a safe haven and licensed clinicians are trained to provide immediate, compassionate care to both the baby and the parent.

“This law has been a success,” he said. “We need more people to know this.”

The law was inspired by a tragedy that, according to Stewart, “rocked the state.”

In January 1988, a newborn was found dead from exposure in a Meriden parking lot. His identity was unknown, and first responders named him David Paul — “David” meaning “God’s beloved” and “Paul” meaning “Little Man.”

For decades, the baby’s name was all they had. But in 2020, Meriden police, with help from forensic genealogists, identified the child’s mother. She told investigators she had given birth alone and called in an anonymous tip. She reportedly later told police that had the safe haven law existed at the time, she would have used it.

Moved by the case, former Rep. Pam Sawyer, R-Bolton and the late legislator Anne Carbone, R-Southington, helped craft legislation modeled after a Texas law. Connecticut’s version offered a penalty-free option for mothers and limited surrender sites to hospitals — rather than firehouses or police stations — to ensure access to medical care at all hours.

“We have too many unmanned firehouses, especially in rural towns,” Sawyer said. “Hospitals are open, staffed, and ready.”

Sawyer emphasized the need to make the law understandable and accessible, especially to younger audiences. 

“We knew that the best thing that we could do was to make the law so simple that it could be shared on a school bus,” she said. “Because that may be something that someone needs to hear, and if they get that info, they are going to realize that there are 24-hour emergency rooms and (the staff will not) ask any questions.”

Once a baby is surrendered, hospital staff notify the Department of Children and Families, which takes immediate custody. The parent receives a packet outlining their rights and options. If they change their mind within 30 days, they can begin the process of reunification through DCF — a process that has occurred in a small number of cases.

“This law ensures there’s a safe place when there seems to be no safe place in their world,” said Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague. “It’s not just about the infant—it’s about showing care for the parent, too.”

Rep. Leslie Zupkus, R-Prospect. spoke about the law’s personal impact.

“I have two adopted daughters from similar situations,” she said. “I always tell them their biological mother loved them very much and wanted a better life for them.”

The event also highlighted the story of Panna Krom, a high school student and daughter of Cambodian refugees who gave birth alone in 2006 at age 17. Krom concealed the birth and her newborn died. She was charged with manslaughter and sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Her case drew the attention of Doug Hood, a retired Yale New Haven neurologist, who spoke about how he met Krom when he was volunteering at a women’s prison, Hood took interest in her case and later connected with her parents. Hood eventually advocated for her clemency when he learned that there were many similar cases across the state.

Hood chronicled the case in his 2023 book, Daughter of Song: A Cambodian Refugee Family, Their Daughter, Crime, and Injustice.

“She wasn’t a premeditated or even an intentional killer,” Hood wrote in his book.

The law’s reach has also been bolstered by community advocates like Tiffany Quinn, who became involved in 2014 after hearing news of another infant death in East Hartford. 

“This was truly a work of all of our hearts, and this came from a place of public service from the heart for what we believe is right and needed,” she said. Quinn helped launch a working group focused on public education and outreach.

Speakers honored the late Governor M. Jodi Rell, an advocate of the law.

Rell oversaw a statewide awareness campaign that included translated outreach materials, signage at hospital entrances, and public service commercials. Her son, Michael Rell, attended the event in her memory.

Rep. Tim Ackert, R-Coventry summed up the law’s legacy in simple terms.

“We always hear about ‘legislation that saves lives’ — this one does,” he said. According to Ackert, at least 59 newborns have been safely surrendered since the law took effect.

“That’s more people than were in the room today,” he said.

For more information about the Safe Havens Act, or for confidential local support and resources, contact the Department of Children and Families Careline at 1-800-842-2288 or dial 2-1-1 for confidential local support and resources.

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