Contact: Jeff Barbosa
(916) 319-2020

“The Governor’s decision to veto AB 2262 guarantees that the program will continue to languish on the vine and that newborns’ lives will be at risk.  Instead of improving the program, the governor has only guaranteed that its current flaws will remain in place.  How many stories of babies left on sidewalks or found in dumpsters have to appear before the Governor will take some initiative and work to improve this program?

This legislation is overwhelmingly supported by Republicans and Democrats, public safety officials and health care experts, because it is a reasonable response to the state auditor’s report (www.bsa.ca.gov).  Yet the Governor and his administration have shown no leadership on this issue whatsoever. That audit revealed that ‘(the Department of) Social Services is using understated statistics on abandoned babies when it concludes that further efforts to heighten public awareness are unnecessary.’

With a simple extension to seven days, my bill would have given mothers more time to deliberate and possibly reduce the likelihood that they will act impulsively in a manner that endangers their child’s life.  Many health experts agree that more time beyond 72 hours is needed and could save lives.  

My bill also addressed the serious problems with this program, including misclassifications, disclosure of sensitive data and other improper actions.  It empowered the Department of Social Services to enforce and administer the safe surrender provisions and convene a workgroup to develop clear and up-to-date instructions and identify agencies to disseminate the information to counties.

The Governor has once again rejected sensible reforms to improve this much-needed program.”

Background

California’s Safely Surrendered Baby law became effective in January 2001.  The law allows a parent or other person having lawful custody of a baby 72 hours old or younger to surrender the baby confidentially and legally to staff at a hospital or other designated safe-surrender site.  

AB 2262 passed the state Senate 33-3 and the Assembly 67-7.  Among the groups supporting it were the California Medical Association, American College of OB-GYN’s, California Professional Firefighters, California Psychiatric Association, Commission on the Status of Women, League of California Cities and the State Bar of California – Family law section.