The below piece, by State Representative Glenn Cordelli, was originally published in the Concord Monitor on March 5, 2024. Representative Cordelli, R-Tuftonboro, represents Carroll County District 7.
HB 1607 has since been passed by the New Hampshire General Court and is awaiting Governor Sununu’s signature. Contact him to ask for his support of this life-saving bill! Call 603-271-2121 or email governorsununu@nh.gov.
As a primary sponsor of HB 1607, relative to expanded safe haven protections, I was frustrated to see the Concord Monitor publish baseless and disparaging allegations about the bill by a Massachusetts resident with a known history of defamation on the issue.
The Monitor repeats Mr. Morrisey’s claims that baby safe haven boxes themselves pose a threat, despite their faultless safety record, going so far as to say they are “committing a felony.” HB 1607 would allow these boxes to be used by hospitals, fire departments, police stations or even churches (provided that all of these facilities meet the 24-hour staffing requirement) to safely and securely receive infants whose parents desire to anonymously relinquish them into state custody.
Currently, the only manufacturer of safe haven baby boxes is an Indiana-based non-profit, Baby Safe Haven Boxes, Inc. which cites stringent testing at every stage of design development and deployment. Since the organization’s first box was installed in 2016, they have been effectively used in 15 states to save 43 infants that may have otherwise died from abandonment or abuse.
Rather than paying heed to petty tirades, the Granite State should be trying to replicate this success with HB 1607.
To date, not a single baby has been reported harmed as a result of Baby Safe Haven drop box malfunctions. Furthermore, no babies have been left unattended for more than two minutes.
However, the Monitor’s article fails to cover the boxes’ multitude of safety features and fail-safes: soft padding, temperature control, and an alarm system. They even have a lock on the outside and ventilated plexiglass facing inside to ensure the protection and swift retrieval of the infants placed therein.
New Hampshire lags behind our New England neighbors in the expansion of baby safe haven laws. HB 1607 presents a bipartisan opportunity for the Granite State to take the lead on this issue, offering new protections for unwanted babies and recourse for desperate, ill-equipped parents with safe haven boxes. Let’s not let one individual with a bruised ego and personal vendetta stop the progress made to save vulnerable newborns’ lives.
The State House Health and Human Services Committee is scheduled to vote on HB 1607 this Wednesday, March 6. I urge members of the committee to support greater protections for Granite State babies and lead New England’s expansion of safe haven laws by voting OTP.
