SAFE HAVEN LAW EFFECTIVE ABANDONED-BABY DEATHS HAVE FALLEN SINCE '01, REPORT SAYS.

Byline: TROY ANDERSON Staff Writer

The number of abandoned infant deaths has dropped more than threefold since 2001, when Los Angeles County launched a campaign encouraging mothers to surrender their unwanted newborns at hospitals and fire stations, a report released today says.

The number of abandoned baby deaths dropped from 14 in 2001 to four last year, while the number of newborns dropped off at hospitals and fire stations rose from none to eight, says the report Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect.

``Each one of these lives is a miracle,'' said David Sommers, spokesman for county Supervisor Don Knabe, who spearheaded a public information campaign to educate mothers about the Safe Haven Law.

``It's a miracle to find out that each time there is a safe surrender that each of these babies could have wound up a tragic statistic. But instead they weren't.

``The mother decided to safely surrender the baby so the baby has a chance at life and a loving home and to live out a life that otherwise could have ended in tragedy.''

Since the Safe Haven Law took effect on Jan. 1, 2001, 41 infants have been safely surrendered in the county. During the same period, 49 infants were found abandoned - 10 who survived and 39 who died.

``We've got a long way to go ahead of us, but it's one of the most inspiring campaigns we are involved in because it shows actual results - 41 babies' lives saved,'' said Deanne Tilton Durfee, executive director of ICAN in El Monte.

The law was created following the widely publicized abandonment of several babies.

The law allows parents or someone they designate to surrender the baby at any county hospital or fire station within 72 hours of its birth without facing criminal prosecution.

The Department of Children and Family Services takes custody of these infants and moves them into adoptive homes as quickly as possible.

Since the law went into effect in 2001, 34 surrendered babies have been adopted.

Durfee said she attributes the decrease in abandoned babies and increase in safely surrendered babies to the public information campaign.

``It obviously hasn't reached enough people, though, because we still have children who are abandoned,'' she said. ``And probably, we don't know about an even greater number of abandoned newborns who we don't find.

``It's just not easy or reasonable to assume we would know every time a tiny 5-pound person is wrapped in a trash bag and thrown into a receptacle. Homeless people often find these babies. Unless you are going through the trash, you won't find them.''

troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com

[phone]