The news said out of 17 children left at a safe dropoff place...9 are teenagers
OMAHA, Neb. - An Iowa teenager who was abandoned at an Omaha hospital under Nebraska's safe-haven law is back home, in part because the grandparents who dropped her off soon changed their minds, a county official said Thursday The 14-year-old girl from across the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, Iowa, was left at Creighton University Medical Center on Tuesday. She was the 17th child left under a state law that took effect in July but was the first from out of state.
Her abandonment set off concerns that Nebraska's broadly written law could make the state a dumping ground for unwanted children. The law absolves anyone of abandonment charges for leaving a child of any age at a state-licensed hospital. It doesn't, however, overlook other possible charges, including if a child had been neglected or abused.
Brenda Beadle, a chief deputy in the Douglas County attorney's office in Nebraska, said a child protection case would not be filed in the 14-year-old's abandonment because it didn't seem appropriate.
Beadle said she believed the girl was adopted by her grandparents. She declined to discuss the circumstances in which the girl was left at the hospital, saying only that it stemmed from a "supervision issue."
The prosecutor's decision was made in part because the grandparents wanted the girl back, Beadle said. But factoring in were assurances that the grandparents had the help they needed to safely welcome the girl back.
"Given that family lives in Iowa and had resources in place, it seemed like the appropriate thing to do," Beadle said.
The Iowa Department of Human Services will follow up as needed, she said.
Officials with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services have stressed that the safe-haven law should be used for children in immediate danger only.
State officials have said parents and caregivers need to understand that abandonment starts a judicial process and that parents who change their minds may find it difficult to regain custody.
Officials have encouraged parents to seek other resources before resorting to abandonment. They've urged desperate parents to ask for help from family, faith-based groups and other community services before abandoning their children at hospitals.
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| Unwanted---or Unable to care for |
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butterfly943
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Oct 9 @ 7:01PM
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This is something that is happening way to often and with programs being cut its a scary thing
http://www.hhs.state.ne.us/Children_Family_Services/SafeHaven/
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goatman
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Oct 9 @ 7:23PM
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On one hand, I guess it's good there's provisions made for these kids,
but I'll never understand a parent (or grandparent for that matter) giving up their child. Makes no sense to me.
da goat
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Cruisenite
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Oct 9 @ 7:58PM
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Just another example of people not wanting to take responsibility for the children they bring into the world. Of course the grandparents didn't bring her in, but they obviously at some point in time assumed responsibility for her. Then, when it starts getting tough, just drop her off at a safe haven. Pathetic! 
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cOuNtRyGiRl816
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Oct 9 @ 8:00PM
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I had an appointment at my local Department of Job and Family Services regarding my daughters medical coverage and as I was sitting in the waiting room I noticed a sign on the wall. Turns out, Ohio also has a safe-haven law, but it only pertains to infants up to 3 days old. While I don't understand how a parent could give up their child, I think its great that different states offer a safe place for that child.
As for the cases of teenagers being left in Nebraska, I think its just the parents/grandparents way of saying they don't want to deal with it anymore. I understand teenagers can be problematic, but MY GOD! Deal with it! No one told you to lay down and conceive that child (except in rape cases) so I think its time to pull up the Big Girl/Boy pants and accept that child! I also think in the case of the recent 14 year old drop off, that the grandparents used it as a scare tactic. Make the girl see that they won't put up with bad behavior, drop her off somewhere, and then "change their minds". Probably scared the $hit out of that poor girl! But thats just my opinion!
I can just imagine if a law like that was passed in Ohio when I was a teenager. My parents probably prayed for a law like that! LMAO!
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ohtayicu
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Oct 9 @ 8:09PM
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guess it's left to me to take the unpopular view...
ifffffffffffffffffff, a parent or grandparent or anyone has been driven to their wits end, BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT, still love that child... isn't it better to acknowledge that they have lost control of the child, rather than do the unmentionable, and do physical harm to that child???
anddddddddddddddddd, no, i don't see how they can ever reach that end.
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IB4U
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Oct 9 @ 8:15PM
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I have mixed feelings on this topic....Understood that laws like this have been passed mainly for the protection of unwanted babys...Babys that have in the past been found in trash bins or abanded on doorsteps...
In cases like this Nebraska case I wonder if funding is lost what will happen to these kids that are not wanted ?? And at present I wonder if medical care and psychological care to the degree needed will be provided
I hope someone has some insite into these new laws .....
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WSOR
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Oct 9 @ 9:03PM
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Un-friggin-real!!  I agree, if you brought the child into the World, especially after many years, then raise it like a responsible parent. Places like that sound almost like a discard center for unwanted people. For the love of God, people are not like toys that you can just pass on, or throw out! 
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Etowah
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Oct 9 @ 9:59PM
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I'm afraid we are going to see a lot more of this in the coming months. The same thing happened during the 1930s when families couldn't afford to feed their children. Back then most counties had county work farms, where children could work in the fields and then be provided with minimal clothing, shelter and food.
There are very institutions set up like the old county work farms to accept children. I just don't know what will happen. Perhaps churches will take over the responsibility.
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RedHotCajunSpice
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Oct 11 @ 7:48PM
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I believe that the safe haven laws in every state should include all children under legal age.  Better these unwanted children receive state services than be on the streets trying to survive on their own. Children are a country's most valuable resource and need to be protected from harm. There are too many dangers lurking for children who must survive on their own.
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