‘Happy and loved’: ‘Safe haven’ baby adopted into new family

Florida’s first baby to be left in a ‘safe haven box’ has now been adopted by her rescuer six months on.

In January, baby Zoey’s now adoptive father found her in a baby box at Ocala Fire Rescue station with a shoelace tying off her umbilical cord. After taking her to the hospital, the fireman and his wife began the adoption process.

All 50 US states now have safe haven legislation in place, which allows mothers in crisis to anonymously leave their newborn babies at designated locations without fear of prosecution.

Proof

Zoey’s adoptive mother reflected: “We’ve been trying for almost a decade to have a family, and everything has kind of not worked out for us” so everyone was “just in disbelief honestly that she was hand-delivered to us almost”.

She added: “We really felt in our hearts that we wanted to let the birth mom know in some way, shape or form that she is safe, she is happy, and she is very loved.”

Safe Haven Baby Boxes’ founder Monica Kelsey reported that ten babies have already been placed in baby boxes this year, and plans are underway to install another box in Florida.

Kelsey said: “It’s working. And this little girl is proof that these boxes are needed in Florida”.

Roe v Wade

Since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade last June, over a dozen states have passed laws permitting the installation of baby boxes in designated public buildings. Although Kelsey has stressed that she does not promote safe havens as an alternative to abortion, she acknowledged that the case caused an “increase in interest in what we do”.

Over a decade ago, Michael and Nicole Olson adopted a newborn boy who had been left in a baby box at a hospital in Arizona. Now an energetic 11-year-old, Porter enjoys camping, gardening and cooking.

Mum Nicole, who became an advocate of safe haven laws after the family’s experience, said: “The biggest message I’ve been trying to send out is when you have a desperate situation, somebody will be there to help.”