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Safe-haven laws (also known in some states as "Baby Moses laws", in reference to the religious scripture) are statutes in the United States that decriminalize the leaving of unharmed infants with statutorily designated private persons so that the child becomes a ward of the state. "Safe-haven" laws typically let parents remain nameless to the court, often using a numbered bracelet system as the only means of linking the baby to the parent. Some states treat safe-haven surrenders as child dependency or abandonment, with a complaint being filed for such in juvenile court. The parent either defaults or answers the complaint. Others treat safe-haven surrenders as adoption surrenders, hence a waiver of parental rights (see parental responsibility). Police stations, hospitals, rescue squads, and fire stations are all typical locations to which the safe-haven law applies.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=wcbstv.com )〕 Texas was the first state to enact a “Baby Moses Law” in 1999, although the Safe Place originates in Mobile, Alabama after a string of infanticides.〔()〕 The Texan legislation was sponsored by a freshman Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives, Geanie Morrison of Victoria, who is still serving in the chamber.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Infant Safe Haven Laws )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=State Rep. Geanie W. Morrison District 30 (R-Victoria) )〕 ==Controversy== Supporters of safe-haven laws claim that the laws save lives by encouraging parents to surrender infants safely, providing an alternative to abortion, infanticide, or child abandonment. Detractors claim that, because safe-haven laws do not require parents to be under stress, one parent will use the law largely to avoid notice to the non-surrendering parent. The laws have also been criticized due to the fact that in some states, safe-haven laws favor mothers.〔Owens, Lisa Lucile, Coerced Parenthood as Family Policy: Feminism, the Moral Agency of Women, and Men's 'Right to Choose' (May 20, 2014). Alabama Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Law Review, Vol. 5, p. 1, 2013. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2439294〕 Critics also claim that safe-haven laws undercut temporary surrender laws, which were enacted specifically for parents who are unsure about whether to keep or relinquish their children. Supporters counter by arguing that anonymity is the only way to convince certain parents not to harm their infants, and that the benefit outweighs any claimed detriment. Controversy has arisen out the safe-haven law enacted in Nebraska in July 2008. The Nebraska law has been interpreted to define a child as anyone under 18,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=URL Change )〕 and has resulted in the desertion of teenage children. Under this law, at least 35 children were dropped off in Nebraska hospitals in a four-month span, at least 5 of them from other US states.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Heineman Signs New Safe Haven Law )〕 The law was changed in November 2008, allowing only infants up to 30 days old to be surrendered. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Safe-haven law」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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