Friday, April 4, 2008

Regularly Scheduled Blog

I'd PLANNED on writing a touching and amusing tribute to my darling son, who turns 10 today. He's an amazing person, and I'm proud to be his mother each and every day.
However, I've been very busy with Safe Haven issues, and have decided to share the mass email that I sent out this morning, in response to a 14 year old in Texas who hid her pregnancy, gave birth in the bathroom at school, and killed the baby by trying to flush him down the toilet.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23949915/

It breaks my heart every time I hear a news story about a woman (or in this case, a CHILD) who hides a pregnancy and then kills the baby. I don't have sympathy for these women. They're scared, they panic.... but that doesn't explain murder.

Every time I see these stories, I contact the local media and ask them to report on the Safe Haven Law for their state. Every state has one now, these laws allow a parent to safely and legally give their child up if they cannot or will not care for him or her. There's no reason that any woman should feel so out of options that she kills her child. Ever.

There's even a national toll free crisis line. I've spoken with people that answer that line, they're amazingly helpful and compassionate. They offer to help women get to crisis centers or medical centers, they explain the options of adoption, safe havens...
Imagine the difference it could make if every woman knew that number. It's so simple. (888) 510-BABY - one phone call could let them know that they do have options. That someone cares about what happens to them. And their baby.

But instead, another woman sheltered a child for forty weeks, only to end his life just after it started.

Please, if you've taken the time to read this, tell someone about Safe Havens today. Tell a friend. Talk about it. You might just save a life.

For more information on Safe Havens in your state, or to volunteer, please visit www.NationalSafeHavenAlliance.org

Thanks for your time and attention to this most important matter.

Jessica Martinez
Save Abandoned Babies Foundation in IL
www.SaveAbandonedBabies.org

5 comments:

carrie said...

my heart breaks for these babies.

Monique said...

I'm saddened.
Do these teens know about these safe-haven laws?

J said...

Once again as much as it broke my heart reading this, thank you for posting it.

ProzacPoet said...

Wow. I have no words. Things like that just absolutely sicken me. Thank you for being an advocate for these poor babies.

Wineplz said...

This is something that has always broken my heart. There needs to be this info in every doctor office, every school, every church, every library. Granted, the best way to keep this from happening is to prevent the pregnancy in the first place (and OMG I couldn't imagine having sex at 14!), but we need the entire community to have the information so that the girls (and women) know their options. At least if they bring the babies to a Fire or Police station, or to a hospital, these babies don't have to die.