Saskatchewan Justice Minister Frank Quennell says he is no longer looking into safe haven legislation for mothers who abandon their babies.

Earlier this week, Quennell was asked about a baby who was left in the washroom of the Prince Albert Wal-Mart.

Prince Albert police believe this woman, shown on surveillance video, abandoned her newborn baby.
(CBC)

It's the second high-profile case of child abandonment in Saskatchewan in less than six months.

Quennell had said he would think about legislating safe locations where mothers could drop off babies without worrying about criminal prosecution. Many jurisdictions in the United States have such laws on the books.

But on Thursday, Quennell said he's decided legislation like that would not be effective.

"The child abandonment offence, of course, is an offence in the Criminal Code. Nothing in provincial legislation would change that. But we can certainly have a policy about whether we enforce it and when we enforce it," he said.

It's already government policy not to prosecute mothers who leave babies with hospitals, clinics, social services, family services and rural RCMP detachments, Quennell said.

It's not likely women who abandon babies in other locations will be prosecuted, but the government does reserve that right, he said.

Police in Prince Albert continue to look for the mother of the baby found in the washroom. The baby boy is in hospital in Saskatoon.