(WACO, Texas) — The Waco City Council is discussing the possibility of installing a safe haven baby box — a secure, anonymous way for parents to surrender their newborns.
Andrea Zimmerman, with the Families and Foster Care Coalition, spoke during Tuesday's city council meeting, urging council members to consider the installation.
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"I think we can all imagine if we put ourselves in the shoes of a mother who knows that she cannot care for this baby and she's about to do the hardest thing in her life and possibly the most loving thing," Zimmerman said. "Maybe she doesn't want to talk to somebody. Maybe she wants to keep that moment private."
Zimmerman noted that Texas is the number one state for child abandonment.
Under Texas law, a parent can safely surrender a newborn up to 60 days old to a designated safe place, such as a fire department or hospital. There are currently only 23 safe haven baby boxes in Texas.
Zimmerman described how the boxes work.
"The average response time is two minutes, so the baby's not waiting there. It's climate controlled," Zimmerman said. "There are cameras inside the box, so that there are eyes on it. It doesn't catch the person dropping it off, but it does catch the baby so they can see."
Waco Fire Chief Robby Bergerson responded to a request for comment, saying in a statement: "The implementation of a baby box would require additional evaluation and coordination to determine operational requirements, appropriate locations, and other considerations to ensure the safety of both the infant and responding personnel."
Zimmerman expressed optimism about the proposal's potential impact on the community.
"This is an opportunity for our community to unify over keeping children safe, and I know that that's what Waco is all about. So I'm really excited about this," Zimmerman said.
No decision has been made. During Tuesday's meeting, Mayor Holmes said the council is still working through some things before making a decision.
