The Illinois Safe Haven Law Could Have Saved Baby Noah

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — It’s been 10 years since the body of a newborn boy, dubbed “Baby Noah” by the Winnebago County Coroner, was found on a conveyor belt at a recycling center in Roscoe.

It’s been 21 years since Illinois passed a law that could have saved a child’s life.

The law allows newborns under 30 days of age to be legally abandoned at an emergency room, police station or fire station, no questions asked.

A parent who legally abandons an intact child is not subject to prosecution or even required to give his name. They are offered medical care and an adoption information pack, but are under no obligation to accept either.

Parents who drop off a child in approved facility can return for their child within 72 hours if they change their mind. If they return after 72 hours, they must report to the Illinois Department of Children and Families.

Since 2001, 129 infants in Illinois have been surrendered under the Safe Haven Act. Six of these newborns were delivered in 2021.

Despite the law, some parents still choose to abandon their unwanted children in dumps, ditches and places where they are often never found. Experts say some parents don’t even know the safe haven provision exists.

“Babies continue to be abandoned dangerously and even killed, in many cases, due to lack of knowledge of the law,” Fund for the Rescue of Abandoned Children the study guide says.

In the case of baby Noah, the sheriff’s office says he unknowingly arrived at the facility on July 13, 2012, in a garbage truck owned by one of several waste haulers after being dumped in someone’s trash can or dumpster.

An autopsy revealed that the baby was probably born alive. His parents were never found.

“Spreading information about the law is critical to saving babies’ lives and allowing frightened parents to choose life for their child despite desperate circumstances,” the foundation said.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have Save Haven laws designed to protect abandoned children.

Anyone with information about baby Noah’s death or the whereabouts of his parents is asked to contact the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office at 815-319-6400 or leave an anonymous tip with Rockford Area Crime Stoppers at 815-963-7867.