From October 2002 to the present, Virginia has recorded six infant abandonments. Two of those infants died.
Nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 161 babies were abandoned in 1999 and 2000. The number found dead totaled 103.
On June 8, 2003, this escalating tragedy came home to the Alexandria/Mount Vernon area with the discovery of the body of a baby boy at the Mount Vernon Country Club. His body was discovered in a pond on the club fairway. His identity has yet to be discovered.
On July 30, a new campaign titled "Into Safe Arms" was launched at Inova Alexandria Hospital. It provides a way for mothers to give up their babies and still give them a chance to live, according to Beth Hoyas Lovain, founder, Into Safe Arms of Northern Virginia, previously known as Alexandria Safe Place for Newborns.
"When the French au pair girl abandoned her baby in 1989, I decided to develop a program here. It took three tries to get the legislation through the General Assembly, but we finally made it," Lovain explained at the hospital ceremony last week.
"The hospital has been a strong supporter of our program since the beginning," Lovain said. "The hospital is working to implement policies and procedures so staff will be prepared should an infant be dropped off."
Lovain acknowledged, "We are currently working with the hospital to produce a kit that will be available to a mother who drops off her newborn. It will give supportive materials to the mother."
AMONG THOSE materials will be an identification bracelet that matches the mother to the infant and allows the mother to share background information about the baby. Both of these options are at the mother's discretion. They provide a way for the mother to reconnect with the baby if she changes her mind about giving the child away, Lovain clarified.
Kenneth Kozloff, Inova Alexandria Hospital administrator and Inova Health System vice president, emphasized, "The focus of Alexandria Hospital is to provide the best medical care possible. The baby will be immediately taken to emergency and then to pediatrics. We intend to provide quality care for the youngest here." He also thanked the nurses who "came forth to work with Lovain to establish this program at the hospital."
Two other strong supporters of the program have been Alexandria commonwealth’s attorney S. Randolph Sengel and Alexandria mayor William D. Euille.
"This offers some alternative to desperate mothers who, for fear of criminal prosecution, often drop their babies in some area where they die," Sengel said.
"Had this law been in effect in 1989, that au pair's child might not have died, and the mother would have avoided prosecution. Under this new law [which became effective July 1], if the mother delivers the baby to the hospital or a fire department EMS squad within 14 days of birth, that shall be an affirmative defense to prosecution," Sengel said.
"The point of this law is not to encourage abandonment. It is to present a viable alternative. This is a partnership with the Alexandria hospital, the city, law enforcement and the volunteer organization Into Safe Arms. Hopefully, this will also promote outreach programs," Sengel said.
Euille, who serves both as a member of the Inova Health System Board and on the advisory council of Into Safe Arms, said, "We have learned that education must be provided. That is why we have established a Web site. One similarity these mothers have is that they feel isolated. We must let them know they are not alone."
EUILLE ALSO SPOKE about the collaborative effort of all the various parties and acknowledged, "As a board member of Inova, I'm very glad this is happening here."
In addition to the city and federal agencies, the Commonwealth Attorney's Office and the hospital, others in the coalition include Stop Child Abuse Now of Northern Virginia, Zonata Club, and the Office on Women.
Also attending the ceremony were state Sens. Patricia S. Ticer (D-30th) and Leslie L. Byrne (D-34th). Both were sponsors of the enabling legislation, along with state Dels. Brian Moran (D-46th) and Marian Van Landingham (D-45th).
"Beth did a fantastic job to get this program moving," Ticer said. "This gives women a choice to abandonment. It's an appropriate community response to a serious community problem."
Newly elected Alexandria councilman Ludwig Gaines, who attended to show support for the new program, noted, "This program provides a viable alternative to abandonment. If a desperate new mother feels there is no other alternative, she will resort to abandonment. However, if a protective program like this is available, it gives her a safety net."
Abandonment comes under Title 18.2, Article 4, of the Virginia Code. It lists two classes of felony for "willful" injury or death of a child under 18 years of age.
A Class 4 felony is assessed to "any parent, guardian, or other person responsible for the care of a child ... who by willful act or omission or refusal to provide any necessary care for the child's health causes or permits serious injury to the life or health of the child." Under Class 6, the willful act or omission must be "so gross, wanton and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life."
Lovain emphasized, "Our ultimate goal is to prevent abandonment of any kind. ... We will explore options with the pregnant female so that her final decision is something she can live with for the rest of her life.
"We care about the mother's future as much as the newborn's and will work with any female who reaches out to us to preserve her future. We hope no mother will ever use a drop-off location. We aspire to be a failure in that area."