District of Columbia authorities are trying to find the parents of a newborn boy who was left on the steps of a home in Southeast Washington.
Because D.C. does not have a safe haven law, the mother or father could face prosecution.
Such laws allow parents to legally and confidentially turn over unwanted infants to any hospital as an alternative to abandonment.
The law is designed to protect newborns from death and to protect desperate mothers from prosecution.
All but two states have a safe haven law.
A Morris Road resident was on her way to work earlier this month when she found the baby on her front doorsteps.
The infant was unclothed and wrapped in a sheet but with his umbilical cord still attached.
He weighed about 6 pounds and was 19 inches long.
The baby, known as Baby Doe, is in a licensed foster home, showing no negative effects from his ordeal, said Mindy Good of the D.C. Children and Family Services Agency. During a news event announcing his plight, Baby Doe slept.
“He is snoozing and cruising,” Good said. “Fortunately, he’s in very good health.”
The infant is described as a black male, probably born late June 5 or early June 6.
D.C. detectives have checked area hospitals and canvassed the Morris Road area without finding Baby Doe’s parents.
By law, the CFSA must attempt to locate family members for children of “unknown parentage.”
In Maryland, the mother or a person who has the approval of the mother may take a newborn 3 days old or younger to any hospital or police station in the state and say, “This is a safe haven baby” without being arrested or prosecuted as long as the baby is unharmed.
The person may be asked about the baby’s health and family health history but doesn’t have to answer any questions.
In Virginia, the mother or father may take the newborn within the first 14 days to a hospital or rescue squad.
Anyone with information about Baby Doe or his family is asked to call the police at 202-727-9099.
