If you have a newborn that you're unable to care for, you can bring your baby to a designated safe place with no questions asked. The safe haven laws—also known as Baby Moses laws—give parents who are unable to care for their child a safe and legal choice to leave their infant with an employee at a designated safe place—a hospital, fire station, free-standing emergency center, or emergency medical services (EMS) station. When left at such a designated safe place, your baby will receive medical care and be placed with an emergency provider.

In California, the Safely Surrendered Baby Law provides a safe and legal option for parents or individuals with lawful custody who are unable or unwilling to care for their newborn. Under this law, a parent or person with lawful custody can safely surrender an infant within 72 hours of birth at any designated safe surrender site, which includes hospitals or other locations designated by the county. These sites are typically staffed by personnel trained to receive the infant, such as firefighters at fire stations or medical staff at hospitals. The person surrendering the baby may do so anonymously and without fear of prosecution for child abandonment, as long as the baby has not been abused or neglected. The baby will receive medical care and be placed with a child welfare agency to be placed for adoption. California's law also provides a 14-day cooling-off period during which the person who surrendered the baby can return to reclaim the child.