State sees increase in infant surrenders under expanded Safe Haven law

Iowa officials are acknowledging that the state’s Safe Haven law, expanded in 2023, has led to an increase in babies being safely surrendered to first responders in the state instead of being abandoned.

Each state has its own version of a safe haven law, meant to curtail infant abandonment by offering parents a safe and secure way to legally surrender an infant they feel unable to care for. Iowa’s law was expanded in 2023 to allow the use of Safe Haven Baby Boxes or other similar devices so that infants can be surrendered anonymously.