Spread the word about Safe Haven laws
April 2, 2026
Dear Friends,
Almost weekly, it seems, we read about a woman, usually young, giving birth in secret and leaving her newborn to die. Statistics show that between 74 and 100 babies suffer this terrible death every year in the United States.
This is a tragedy - and a crime - that never needs to happen.
Safe Haven laws have been in effect in every state since 2008, giving moms who feel they cannot parent their child a way to legally - and safely - turn over their newborns at hospitals, fire stations and police precincts. States have different cutoffs for how long babies can be surrendered, but all of them give mothers ample time after the birth to hand the baby off with no legal consequences whatsoever.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, moms who have been arrested and convicted of leaving their babies to die can be sentenced to prison, sometimes for years. A Virginia mom who left her baby in a park to die of hypothermia in 2020 was sentenced to 32 years behind bars.
In addition to Safe Haven laws, eleven states have seen the installation of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, primarily at firehouses. These are temperature-controlled, alarmed boxes that allow moms to anonymously surrender their newborns with the assurance that the child will be removed from the box within minutes.
My state, Florida, has eleven boxes already, and a City Council member in Jacksonville has proposed 14 for that city alone. A box was opened last week here in Central Florida, with another seven planned in three nearby cities. A few years ago, a firefighter in Ocala and his wife went on to adopt the little girl he found in the baby box.
“This box does not represent abandonment; it represents protection," Leesburg Chief Ryan Henry said at the opening of that box. "It represents a parent making an incredibly difficult decision in order to give their child a safe future.”
If more people knew about Safe Haven laws and baby boxes, lives would be saved. We can’t look to the legacy media to do the job for us because clearly it has not. That leaves us on our own with a mandate to ensure that every young woman knows she can save her baby’s life and safeguard her own future.
Will you join me and my team at Priests for Life by helping to spread awareness of Safe Haven laws in all 50 states, and the existence of Safe Haven Baby Boxes in eleven states?
When you click this link, you will be taken to a page where you can let me know you are willing to spread the word, and I’ll give you some suggestions to help you. And please forward this email to as many other interested people as you can!
As always, my heartfelt thanks for your willingness to help in this truly life-saving effort.
Regards,
Pro-Life Leader Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life
This is the type of action that Priests for Life can take nationwide as we mobilize our movement. To help make it possible for Priests for Life to conduct campaigns such as this one, please click here and be as generous as you can.