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Since 2001, there have been FORTY NINE babies illegally abandoned in Illinois. Of those, 24 were found dead. The latest one was just this weekend in Chicago Ridge.
Twenty Four lives destroyed before they even had a chance. Why? Because a woman was too afraid to admit she was pregnant, too scared to keep the baby? Or too selfish to do the right thing? This isn't "someone else's" problem. These are our babies, and they're dying because we can't reach people in time to tell them THERE IS ANOTHER WAY!

For anyone who still thinks "it doesn't happen here"..... take a look at the stats of the known parents and infants:
Known age of mothers*: Age 14-18: 22.7%
Age 19-24: 29.6%
Age 25-30: 31.8%
Age 31-41: 15.9%

Known race of newborn*: African/Black:34.9%
Caucasian/White: 38.1%
Latino/Hispanic: 19.0%
Mixed Race: 8.0%

SO the bottom line is that the message needs to get out to EVERY WOMAN, EVERY RACE between the ages of 12 and 50! Illinois has a Safe Haven Law - any unharmed newborn up to 7 days old can be handed to a worker at ANY STAFFED hospital, police or fire station. NO QUESTIONS ASKED. Every state in the Union has a Safe Haven Law except Nebraska and Alaska and we're working on it there, too!!!!!

~ Sorry for ranting. It breaks my heart each and every time a baby is left for dead, or WORSE, killed by it's own mother. Some people don't think infanticide and infant abandonment have the same root cause, and they don't every single time.... but the laws are there to give women a legal and anonymous way to give their baby a chance. How could someone be so selfish when there's help literally around the corner?
As part of my work with the Foundation, I respond to unsafe abandonments. Every time this happens -far too often, if you ask me- I contact the local authorities: mayor, police, fire stations, as well as the congressional reps and senators. Each time I ask for help in posting Safe Haven information, donations to help fund the educator's packets we produce ... and I rarely ever get a response. Does that mean that no one cares unless it's an election issue? Or do they chalk it up as a standard ill of society???
My kids know about my work with the Foundation. The hardest question I've ever been asked is, "Momma, why would someone do that to their baby?" and do you know what? I still don't have an answer.