The Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act allows a parent to anonymously relinquish her or his newborn infant to the care and custody of a safe haven. It provides a safe alternative to parents who may be under severe emotional distress or are unable to provide for the basic needs of an infant. The law provides immunity from prosecution for parents who relinquish their unharmed newborn to a safe haven under the terms of this law. The Mundelein Police Department is a "Safe Haven", and signs have been posted in the main lobby identifying it as such.
A "newborn infant" is defined as a child who a licensed physician reasonably believes is 7 days old or less at the time the child is initially relinquished. When a newborn infant is relinquished to the police department, the newborn infant will undergo a brief examination. If there is no evidence of abuse or neglect of the newborn infant, the relinquishing person has a right to leave the police station and not be pursued or followed.
The officer accepting the newborn infant must offer an information packet and if possible, must clearly inform the relinquishing person that his or her acceptance of the information packet is completely voluntary.
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Page last updated on Thursday, September 27, 2007 at 05:07 PM -0500