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 Utah, the Safe Haven law allows a parent to anonymously give up custody of a newborn child without facing legal repercussions, provided that the child is 30 days old or younger. The law is designed to prevent harm to infants from abandonment and to offer parents in crisis a safe option for their child's care. Parents can leave the baby at any hospital, 24-hour hospital emergency room, licensed adoption agency, or with a fire department or law enforcement agency that is staffed 24 hours a day. The person receiving the child will ask for medical information if the parent is willing to provide it, but it is not required. The baby will receive medical care if needed and will be placed with a child welfare agency to be cared for and placed for adoption. It's important to note that the baby must be left with an employee or individual who is at the designated safe haven location and appears to be in a condition that is not abusive.