MORE PUBLICITY FOR BABY DROP-OFF LAW URGED.

Byline: Michael Gougis Staff Writer

Child advocates urged Los Angeles County supervisors Tuesday to publicize a state law allowing parents to abandon unwanted babies safely and without fear of prosecution.

``This is not a law that will be effective at all without public awareness,'' said Deanne Tilton Durfee, executive director of the Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect, or ICAN.

``Ultimately, this message needs to get out to everyone.''

ICAN released a report showing that eight newborns were surrendered safely last year, and eight were abandoned, seven of whom died. In 2002, 10 newborns were safely surrendered and 13 abandoned, eight of whom dead.

Board members ordered staff to work with agencies inside and outside the county to ensure that the Safe Surrender public information program reaches all women and their families.

A 2001 law allows a mother or legal guardian to surrender a child at a hospital emergency room or designated fire stations. If the child is less than 72 hours old, the parent will not be prosecuted.

Despite the state law, child abandonments still occur. Last week, a man walking his dogs in east Hollywood found a newborn girl inside a plastic grocery bag left on a neighbor's front lawn.

Data collected from a number of parents who surrendered children found that they were not members of any particular age, ethnic or social group.

``This runs the gamut, not only of age, but of socioeconomic status,'' said Supervisor Don Knabe.

``Most people think of this as aimed at a pregnant teenager who's hiding a pregnancy in high school. But these mothers range from 16 to 42. You're not just talking about teens,'' Durfee said.

``Several of these women had other children,'' said Tish Sleeper, ICAN program administrator.

Research in other states with similar laws has shown that, over time, more and more middle- and upper-class people surrender infants, Durfee said.

Most of the abandoned children in 2002 were found along the Harbor Freeway corridor, the report found. Most of the surrendered and abandoned children were found in economically depressed areas, but Durfee cautioned that the statistics could be misleading.

``In higher socioeconomic neighborhoods, for a number of reasons, it might be easier to hide an abandonment without anyone finding out,'' she said.

For example, Durfee said a newborn abandoned in a private trash can outside a suburban home would be less likely to be found by a homeless person scavenging for food than a baby abandoned in a garbage bin near an inner-city apartment.

Michael Gougis, [phone]

michael.gougis(at)dailynews.com