WARNING: This is not a warm fuzzy story appropriate for the holidays. It just came to my attention though and I wanted to post it while it was on my mind and timely.

A chilling and disturbing news article came across my radar yesterday. Read Here. It is a story from North Texas about a 35-year-old mother of three who was recently arrested for the murder of her newborn. Her son was found six months ago dumped in the trash at Texas World Speedway, a racetrack.

DNA testing linked Ms. Susan Chiniewicz to the baby boy whose body was discovered in a trash can. As you will discover, Ms. Chiniewicz ("Ms. C") lived in The Colony which was created in 1969 by developers as a "dream city". By all accounts, there was nothing to indicate that this mother of three would fit any profile of a woman who might contemplate such a dastardly and thoroughly despicable act.

"Safe Haven" or "Baby Moses" laws in America were created in an attempt to prevent babies being disposed of in just such a manner. Their main goal is to save babies from exactly the fate that Ms. C's baby did indeed suffer. The media also refers to these laws as "baby dump" legislation.

Here is Ray Buffer, an activist adoptee's take on the issue of Safe Havens.

Another California adoptee recently did extensive polling of all counties in the state to measure the effectiveness of safe haven laws here. Her data indicated that in our state, these laws have not been proven to achieve what they were designed to do - save the lives of babies.

Safe haven laws are disfavored by many people in the adoption community for a variety of reasons. Women are allowed to relinquish their babies anonymously, within 72 hours of birth. This act in effect thwarts any later attempts to trace the biological roots of these children. In California, safe havens "suggest" that a mother who abandons her child provides medical information, but it is not required.

Here is a link that shows the safe haven options in many states. Safe Haven Info by State

Another concern with safe havens is that a person who shows up at a site with a baby does not have to prove their relationship to the child. Therefore, a parent, spouse or significant other could conceivably take a child from a mother and drop the baby off at a safe haven site. Safe haven sites are generally hospital emergency rooms, fire or police stations.

To be continued...............................