I admit I do not care for all the safe haven laws that have become a new trend. These laws supposedly encourage young women not to harm their newborns and abandon them at a facility like a hospital or fire station, without fear of legal action against them. In the long run though a child might be abandoned by someone other than the mother and without her permission. Children abandoned in this way also lose the ability to in the future search for birth family and know their history. I understand the thought process is to somehow save lives, but this idea needs some work.

That said, here is an article I found to be a very interesting story of a little boy abandoned a year ago today outside the Our Lady of Guadalupe church in San Jose.

The newborn baby boy was found January 31st, 2006 in a duffel bag outside the church by the janitor who worked there. The janitor’s wife who also worked at the church held the baby until help arrived. The couple had longed for a child themselves for 12 years and decided to apply to adopt the baby if he became available. The baby spent 6 months in foster care and was eventually placed for adoption with the couple who first discovered him.

The article includes a great slide show of the baby’s baptism today.

While part of me feels a certain sense of sadness about what this child has lost due to his abandonment, I also felt hope through the article that this child does have a loving family and most importantly did not lose his life. In so many of the stories you hear like this the baby is often found when it is to late, a life lost for no real reason. This child beat the odds of abandonment, he survived and has hope with a new family.

One can’t help but wonder what more he might have had in his future if his mother had found help, counseling, and resources. Perhaps he might still be with her, he may still have been in need of adoption but then with the preparation and care that would answer many questions he will someday have.


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