(WICHITA, Kan.) — It may be the first case of its kind in Kansas, a mother gives up her baby under thestate's Safe Haven law.
Police picked up the newborn Thursday evening from the mother's friend.
The mother told officers she did not want her daughter. The child has been in protective custody since.
Police stations, fire stations, hospitals. Each place is a safe haven for the youngest of Kansans.
Under state law, a parent can leave a healthy child -- up to 45 days old -- with an employee at any one of those places -- and not face child abandonment charges. That is what a Wichita mother chose to do Thursday evening.
The mother's friend contacted Wesley Hospital, and the fire department, then gave the newborn to Police.
"I think if she knew that she wasn't the right person to take care of the baby," said Dr. Deb Outwater of Wesley Family Medicine, "I'm really glad that baby's somewhere safe." Outwater specializes in post-partum depression. She does not think this is a case of PPD; she said those symptoms take weeks to set in. She said this case is very rare.
"It sounds like she did what she thought was the best thing to do at that moment in time," said Dr. Outwater, "and I don't think anyone was hurt by it."
The newborn girl is healthy, and still hospitalized. She'll stay at Wesley through the weekend. Investigators continue to look at this case, but say based on the evidence, this may be the first documented Safe Haven case in Kansas.
"We want to make sure all children have an opportunity to thrive," said Lt. Jeff Weible of the Exploited and Missing Children's Unit in Sedgwick County.
