Over 100 babies are abandoned in Texas each year. In 1999, Texas passed the country’s first “Baby Moses” legislation. The Baby Moses law states that a parent may leave an unharmed infant, up to 60 days old, at any 24-hour emergency infant care provider with no questions asked and no penalty to the parent. This law not only protects the life of the infant but also provides a responsible alternative for the desperate parent. The Children’s Advocacy Center has taken the responsibility of educating the community of this law by providing “Safe Baby Site” signs to all designated emergency infant care providers. In Smith County, emergency rooms at both ETMC and Trinity Mother Francis, as well as the ten 24-hour fire stations are all designated “Safe Baby Sites” with trained personnel to receive hand-delivered infants. After an infant is received and given necessary medical attention, they are turned over to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and placed for adoption with a loving family.

The CAC Community Educator visits each of the ten stations on a yearly basis to deliver up-to-date baby formula that is kept in the “Baby Box.” Each station has a baby box which is filled with items such as receiving blanket, onsie, socks, pacifier, diapers, wipes, bottle, formula, instructions for the Safe Baby Site, news article and disclosure forms.

The mission of each Safe Baby Site is to medically stabilize the infant (and transports to hospital, if needed), offer mother medical treatment and voluntary medical disclosure forms and within 24 hours, the Safe Baby Site must contact the Department of Family and Protective Services. The Department of Family and Protective Services will assume custody of the infant

For more information on the Baby Moses Project, call (903) 533-1880 or email Brenda@cacsmithcounty.org.