Reading Wizbang's entry here and following the link, I couldn't help but notice this at the end of the story:
Jenne stressed that the incident need not have happened, noting that Florida had a “safe harbor law” allowing a mother (to) leave her baby at any medical facility or fire station within three days, no questions asked.
Okay, I get it. And I certainly wouldn't want to see a baby just dumped somewhere due to some idiot's craziness or lack of responsibility. But it just sounds so bizarre. Like a child is something you can get from Sears and return in x number of days if you are dissatisfied.
While something like that sounds positive and necessary, doesn't it also send the message that, hey, it's no big deal to give birth to something you just don't want. Resolving that conflict is always something I struggle with around issues like these. How do you remain compassionate, yet still try to send a message of personal responsibility and common sense?
Clearly a nut job is unlikely to know let alone follow such a policy. And how many low lifes bother? I wonder if there are statistics on this anywhere. If anyone has heard of them I'd love to hear about it.
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