Former state Rep. Pamela Sawyer talks to reporters about the 25th anniversary of the Safe Havens For Newborns Act on Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Hartford. Credit: Screengrab / CT-N
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.
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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.
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“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.
Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, talks to reporters about the 25th anniversary of the Safe Havens For Newborns Act on Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Hartford. Credit: Screengrab / CT-N
“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.
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“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.
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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.
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“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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As of early 2025, the Connecticut State Police was facing a staffing shortage of roughly 300 troopers compared to the more than 1,200 troopers the department had in its ranks over a decade ago. This is due largely to retirements, resignations and a shrinking applicant pool.
Recent academy classes are helping slowly rebuild staffing, but Gov. Ned Lamont and police leadership say Connecticut still needs substantially more troopers to meet public safety demands. More recently, news outlets reported the department had 938 troopers.
This spring, troopers negotiated a 4.5% wage hike with state officials. Troopers’ base pay is on average about $116,000 per year, but that rises to $175,000 per year once overtime is included.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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CT Mirror partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims.
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Reginald David is the Community Engagement Reporter for CT Mirror. He builds relationships across Connecticut to elevate community voices and deepen public dialogue around local issues. Previously, he was a producer at KCUR 89.3, Kansas City’s NPR station, where he created community-centered programming, led live event coverage for major events like the NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl Parade, and Royals Opening Day, and launched KC Soundcheck, a music series spotlighting local and national artists. Reginald has also hosted special segments, including an in-depth interview with civil rights leader Alvin Brooks and live community coverage on issues like racial segregation and neighborhood development. He began his public media career as an ‘Integrity in News’ intern at WNPR in Hartford.
Meteorologists are predicting the next storm system in Connecticut could bring a couple inches of snow this weekend.
WTNH reports snow will start late Saturday night and continue into Sunday morning.
“There is pretty good agreement with light snow amounts statewide with up to around 2″ expected,” WTNH says.
Find out what’s happening in Across Connecticutfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
WFSB reports long-range models have been “all over the place with the development of a coastal storm.”
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According to WFSB, some show the system moving to the south of Connecticut, which would make the impact on weekend plans “minimal.” Another model, however, shows a greater impact on Connecticut, which could mean a “coating to an inch” of snow, WFSB reports.
Find out what’s happening in Across Connecticutfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
WFSB as of Thursday also predicts the timing would be late Saturday night through Sunday morning.
The National Weather Service as of Thursday has increased the odds of snow in this weekend timeframe to 50 percent, up from 30 percent.
In the short term, it is going to be very windy today.
The National Weather Service has advisories for northern and southern parts of Connecticut due to high winds, with possible gusts of up to 50 miles per hour.
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Today, Friday and daytime Saturday will be clear and dry, according to the National Weather Service, with high temperatures starting in the low to mid-30s and gradually warming.
“Saturday is the pick of the weekend, as it will be dry and relatively milder,” WFSB reports. “While we could start bright, cloud cover will be on the increase with temps that peak between 35 and 40. Sunday will be colder as temps only reach the upper 20s and lower 30s.”
The National Weather Service indicates the chance for snow begins around midnight Saturday.
Read More:
Here are the forecast details for northern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:
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Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 31. Breezy, with a west wind 18 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 20. West wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 32. West wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 16. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light southwest in the evening.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 36. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning.
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Saturday Night: A chance of snow, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Sunday: A chance of snow before 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 29. Northwest wind 5 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Here are the forecast details for southern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:
Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 34. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. West wind 16 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 22. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. West wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 41 mph.
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Friday: Sunny, with a high near 34. Wind chill values between 10 and 20. West wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22. West wind around 6 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 39. Light west wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Saturday Night: Snow likely after 1 a.m. Cloudy, with a low around 26. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Sunday: A 50 percent chance of snow before 1 p.m. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 33.
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NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (WTNH) — An emergency room doctor at the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain just returned to Connecticut after running seven marathons in seven days on seven continents — including Antarctica.
Dr. Lisa Bienia Kenton just finished running 183.4 miles in seven days to raise money for her niece and nephew who have a chromosomal disorder. Covering that much ground in just a week doesn’t allow for much time to sleep.
“We average about three hours a night,” Dr. Bienia Kenton said. “So, 21 hours we slept total for the seven days.”
It’s called the Great World Race. 60 runners started in Antarctica, then South Africa, then Australia, then the United Arab Emirates, then Portugal, then Colombia and finished in Miami.
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“In Antarctica, it was -30°C with a 30 mile an hour wind chill,” Dr. Bienia Kenton said. “So that was by far the most grueling and kind of gnarly things we experienced. Like, sometimes you don’t even know if you’re moving forward.”
Dr. Bienia Kenton is part of an elite group of female runners — only 166 have run a marathon on every continent and only a fraction of them have done it in seven days.
“I met a lot of great, strong women,” Dr. Bienia Kenton said. “A lot of moms, same demographic as me, and we kind of just powered each other through.”
She had support from her husband and sons, who encouraged her to do the race. She trained by running to her son’s baseball games and around the field before returning home. She said her husband got her time off work to run the race after talking to her boss, who met her in Miami and ran the last marathon with her.
She said the experience of running the Great World Race left her body bruised, but it changed her life.
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“I left there with this life, inner self or inner feeling of confidence, like I can tackle the world,” she said. “And maybe that’s going to wear off over time, but right now I’m riding that high.”
