"When it seems like there aren't any options, Safe Delivery provides a choice for parents that are emotionally unprepared or not financially capable of supporting an infant," explained Phyllis Meadows, health officer for the Detroit Health Department. "Since 2001, the Safe Delivery of Newborns Act has saved 44 infants from being abandoned in locations that almost always result in the death of the child."

The Safe Delivery of Newborns Act became law in 2001 in response to a growing problem of infants abandoned in parking lots, bathrooms, dumpsters and other unsafe locations.

According to the law, a parent can anonymously surrender an infant, from birth to 72 hours of age, to an Emergency Service Provider (ESP). An ESP is a uniformed, or otherwise identified, employee of a fire department, hospital or police station that is inside the building and on duty. As of Jan. 1, 2007, this definition was expanded to include on-duty EMS personnel.

The act allows the parent to surrender the infant without breaking any laws or giving any identifying information to the ESP. Although the parent remains anonymous, he or she is encouraged to provide family and medical background that could be useful to the child in the future.

After the newborn is placed in the custody of the ESP, the baby is examined at a hospital and if no signs of abuse or neglect are found, the child is released to temporary protective custody and is given to a private adoption agency for placement with an approved family. If indications of abuse and/or neglect are found, hospital personnel initiate a referral to Children's Protective Services for an investigation.

"The irrational decision by a parent to abandon their child at a hazardous location can seriously effect the parents' mental and physical health for the remainder of their life, and put the newborn's life at risk," said Herman Gray, M.D., president of Children's Hospital of Michigan. "The health consequences to all parties involved can be life altering and incredibly damaging."

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates as many as 100 newborns are abandoned in public places each year, with nearly a third of those infants found dead.