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 Virginia, the Safe Haven Law allows a parent or person with legal custody to surrender an unharmed newborn up to 14 days old to a staff member at any hospital, emergency medical services agency, or fire station that is staffed 24 hours a day. The law is intended to prevent unsafe abandonment of newborns and to provide a safe alternative for parents who may be in crisis and feel they cannot care for their child. The person surrendering the child does not have to provide any identifying information and will not face prosecution for abandonment as long as the child is unharmed and the law's conditions are met. Once the baby is surrendered, they will receive medical care if needed and the local department of social services will take custody to ensure the child's safety and well-being, including placing the baby with an emergency provider or in a foster home.