A bill to enhance “Safe Surrender” laws in California is quickly moving through the legislature with support from Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC). Women for America of California and Young Women for America leaders have been active advocates seeing the bill through the process.
Every state in America has Safe Surrender laws (also known as safe haven laws). These protections allow a woman to anonymously leave an unharmed newborn at a safe surrender location without charges for abandonment. Safe surrender locations are often hospitals, fire stations, or police stations, and aim to protect babies from unsafe abandonment. The boxes are suited to be safe and comfortable for the baby, often equipped with temperature regulation, padded bassinets, and locks.
These laws have also paved a pivotal road for the pro-life movement. In the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization oral arguments, the case that would eventually overturn Roe v. Wade, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who voted to overturn the abortion precedent, leaned into these laws during questioning. The abortion advocates on the stand offered the termination of life as a necessary component for women’s equality. They argued that the so-called burdens of motherhood are solved by abortion. However, as Justice Barrett pointed out, Safe Surrender laws provide a legal path of surrender that preserves the child’s life.
While child abandonment is a devastating reality that robs a child of their mother and father, in some extreme circumstances, it can be lifesaving. Providing an avenue for safe and legal relinquishment of rights places the child on an adoption path, which is a Biblical redemptive process.
However, pro-abortion advocates are becoming increasingly vocal against these boxes. An article on progressive.org said the fall of Roe has caused “unwanted births, while feeding a profitable adoption system,” and that the accessibility of these boxes “is a sign that people are increasingly forced into pregnancy and childbirth.”
I could go on about what this exposes about the pro-abortion agenda. It is not about autonomy; the only acceptable outcome is the death of the child.
However, this dangerous refusal has not stretched the full breadth of abortion advocates. In fact, there is a strong coalition driving support to expand these programs in California.
Current California law permits a parent to leave a child who is 72 hours old or younger, which is near immediate abandonment. California Assembly Bill 1628 would expand this law to allow use of the baby box up to 30 days after birth.
The bill has gained bipartisan co-sponsorship and has passed through related committees unanimously.
Women for America of California State Director, Marlo Tucker, detailed their involvement with the bill:
During the week of the California March for Life, CWA of California held a lobby day and dessert social where Women for America and Young Women for America leaders were trained on how to speak with legislators about AB 1628 and the importance of the bill. We prepared folders containing CWA of California position letters and talking points to help equip members for legislative meetings and advocacy efforts following the California March for Life. We prayed throughout the Capitol halls and took action by meeting with committee members.
During this legislative session, we hold monthly Prayer/Action Leader briefings on AB 1628 to inform and encourage leaders and their Prayer Action Chapters to contact legislators and voice support for the bill. In addition, CWA of California’s Legislative Liaison and Sacramento area members attended committee hearings in April to publicly support the bill as it continues moving through the Assembly.
It passed through the Appropriations Committee earlier this week, and we are hoping for a full Assembly vote soon. Contact your representative here, and voice your support for AB 1628.
The National Safe Haven Alliance reports that 5,403 babies have been saved by these boxes since 1999. As our friends at Focus on the Family say, “Baby boxes are not the first choice—they are the last safety net.” We are grateful for opportunities to defy political lines and work together to strengthen this net and save lives.
As Marlo expressed it, “AB 1628 strengthens protections for vulnerable newborns while giving mothers facing difficult situations more time and access to safe options. In desperate moments, safe alternatives can help turn despair into hope. Policies that protect life and support moms in crisis deserve strong support.”
Matthew 25:40, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
