Boy, 5, left at U.S. hospital as state mulls age limit on 'safe haven' law
Majority of abandoned children in state are teenagers
Lawmakers in Nebraska are holding a special session on Friday to debate lowering the age limit on the state's "safe haven" law to protect unwanted newborns from being abandoned, a day after a five-year-old boy was dropped off at an Omaha hospital.
Nebraska's Department of Health and Human Services said Friday the boy was left at Immanuel Medical Center about 9 p.m. local time Thursday.
Unlike similar laws in other states that give parents immunity from prosecution if they drop unwanted children at a hospital to prevent potentially dangerous situations, Nebraska's law doesn't include an age limit.
The absence of an age limit has sparked controversy over parental responsibility, as the majority of abandoned children in the state are teenagers.
As of Friday, 34 children have been abandoned under the law, including six 17-year-olds. Five have been from out of state.
Beginning in Texas in 1999, the so-called "Baby Moses laws" have been enacted in 47 states as an incentive for mothers in crisis to safely relinquish their babies to designated locations, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The newborns are protected and provided with medical care until a permanent home is found.
Safe haven laws generally allow the parent, or an agent of the parent who delivers the child, to remain anonymous and protected from prosecution, unless there is evidence of major negligence.