Statements
Mission
The mission of A Secret Safe Place for Newborns of Tennessee is to protect the most defenseless among us, newborn infants, by educating and informing women and communities about safe, secret options under the Safe Haven Law. Our vision is to save lives by increasing the safe surrender and eliminating the unsafe abandonment of newborns in every community of our state.
Background
A Secret Safe Place for Newborns of Tennessee was founded in Blount County in 2001 after a tragic incident of newborn abandonment in Townsend. A fourteen-year-old girl left her newborn daughter in a shed after hiding her pregnancy and giving birth alone at her home. Community members devoted to protecting other newborns from similar circumstances rallied together and advocated for our legislature to pass the Safe Haven Law in 2001. The law allows any mother to anonymously surrender her unharmed newborn to staff at a hospital, birthing center, community health clinic, walk-in clinic, EMS facility, or fire or police station (only if staffed 24 hours) within three days of birth without fear of prosecution. Because no funding was provided to educate Tennesseans about the law and no state agencies were made responsible for doing so, A Secret Safe Place for Newborns of Tennessee was founded to raise awareness and prevent further abandonment. Our goal is to reach young women who may be hiding their pregnancies out of fear and desperation and who are at risk of panicking and abandoning their newborns in unsafe places. We are dedicated to preventing the abandonment of newborn babies throughout the state of Tennessee by raising awareness of the Safe Haven Law. We provide a 24-hour, toll-free Helpline for women in crisis, training and support for safe haven facilities, as well as school and community outreach and education. At least 100 newborns are abandoned each year in the U.S. While abandonment has decreased in Tennessee, it continues to be a problem. However, ninety-five newborns have been safely surrendered under the Safe Haven Law.
Impact
Imagine a helpless newborn baby wrapped in a pillowcase and stuffed under a dorm room bed. Another baby is thrown into a dumpster on a sweltering, summer day and left to die. Elsewhere, a newborn is bundled in a towel and handed to a fire fighter at a fire station or given to a nurse at a hospital emergency room. In all of these scenarios, the mothers were scared and panicked. They had hidden their pregnancies and didn't know what to do. However, the mother who took her baby to the fire station knew about the Tennessee Safe Haven Law. She chose to safely surrender her baby to a designated facility. Tennessee's Safe Haven Law provides a safe and legal alternative to a woman who might otherwise abandon her newborn.The law allows a mother to anonymously surrender her unharmed newborn of 3 days old or less to staff at any hospital, birthing center, community health clinic (health department), walk-in clinic, EMS facility, or 24-hour staffed fire or police station in Tennessee. She is not required to answer any questions or give any information. A Secret Safe Place for Newborns of Tennessee is a statewide organization founded in 2001 dedicated to preventing newborn abandonment by raising awareness of the Safe Haven Law. We educate women with a 24-hour confidential Helpline (1-866-699-SAFE), printed materials, social media, a website (www.secretsafeplacetn.org), school and community education programs, and many forms of advertising. We also provide training and resources for safe haven facilities. One-hundred and three newborns have been safely surrendered in Tennessee under the safe haven law. While there was one neonaticide in our state in 2016, there have been no reports of unsafe or illegal newborn abandonment in the last four years in Tennessee. Please help us continue to keep babies safe. To learn more, please go to www.secretsafeplacetn.org.Anyone in crisis can call 1-866-699-SAFE (7233).
Needs
A Secret Safe Place for Newborns of Tennessee appreciates financial, in-kind, and volunteer support. Financial support is needed to fund our educational efforts including: printed resources, various forms of media and advertising, booth space at health and teen fairs and conferences, travel to high schools and safe haven facilities, materials for safe haven locations, and general expenses of the agency. In-kind support includes the following: donated air time (television or radio), billboards, advertising space (online, etc.), printing, postage, or office supplies. We need partners across the state to assist with educating the public about the Safe Haven Law. Please contact our business office to receive brochures, pocket cards, posters, and other information for your community. Share or tag our social media pages. Anyone can help us raise awareness!
CEO Statement
'Every baby deserves life.' Everyone involved with A Secret Safe Place for Newborns of Tennessee shares this philosophy. No baby should be left for dead by a scared and panicked mother who is desperate to keep the secret of her pregnancy. The Safe Haven Law provides a safe and legal option for young women who, for reasons known only to them, cannot or will not access the many resources available for those dealing with an unintended pregnancy. Their newborns can be surrendered to staff at a safe place and grow up with a loving adoptive family. We are NOT an adoption agency. We exist to educate young women about the Safe Haven Law in Tennessee. Young women who are hiding their pregnancies, often in complete denial of their situations, will continue to abandon their babies in dumpsters, restrooms, trash cans, rivers, and other unsafe places without awareness of this life-saving option. There is no single profile of someone who abandons her baby. It happens with all ages, races, and income levels. It happens with girls who have good grades, jobs, and those who are athletes and attend church. We cannot target one segment of the population. We must reach every young woman with information about the Safe Haven Law. It is often challenging to reach everyone, but we work diligently every day to do that. We encourage everyone to partner with us and spread the word. If we can save one baby, every effort is worthwhile.
Board Chair Statement
From Lyn Eagen, Board Chair: It's been 19 years since A Secret Safe Place for Newborns of Tennessee was founded, and over 130 babies have been safely surrendered under the Safe Haven Law. That's a wonderful start, but the ultimate goal of this organization is that no baby will be abandoned. There are approximately 100 newborns abandoned each year nationwide. That's at least 100 too many. Through the efforts of our Executive Director and a board of volunteers, we are raising awareness statewide of the Safe Haven Law and our mission. Infants are defenseless, and while these mothers may be scared, they should not be without hope. That is our mission. There is hope and a safe place for newborns in this state. Through fundraising, word of mouth, and education, we will continue to spread that message statewide until no baby is abandoned again.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Human Services - Children's and Youth Services |
| Secondary Category: | - |
| Tertiary Category: | - |
Areas Served
Our organization serves all of Tennessee.
| TN |
