Haven law passes crucial milestone

When Jean and Mike Morrissey watched baby Rebecca Mary laid to rest 50 feet from the spot where she was abandoned in a Dorchester cemetery in November 2001, they knew they needed to actively fight to stop baby abandonment.

Now, more than six years later, New England is entering its 14^th month without a newborn abandonment - thanks to the Morrisseys, co-founders of Baby Safe Haven New England, and state Rep. Barry Finegold, D-Andover. New England has not seen a safety record of this stature in more than 20 years.

Under the law, which was passed in 2004, a parent is legally allowed to anonymously surrender a newborn 7 days old or younger to a hospital, police station, or manned fire station without criminal fear of criminal prosecution.

"After seeing baby Rebecca Mary buried, you just don't forget something like that and my wife and I just said we can't take this," said Morrissey, who along with his wife remain constantly active spreading the word about the law. "Maybe we were put on earth to do this. You can say it was fate or an act of God that put this together. We've seen some phenomenal near miracles."

Since the law was passed in 2004, six babies have been safely surrendered to hospitals according to Morrissey, three of them in the Merrimack Valley area.

The law, which had a sunset clause placed on it, was set to expire this year. However, after Finegold advocated on behalf of the law because of its strong success rate, Gov. Deval Patrick made it permanent in August.

Finegold, who first filed Baby Safe Haven Act in 2000 after hearing about a baby abandoned in a Worcester parking lost in 2000, said the primary criticism he has heard is that safely surrendered babies would not have biological records.

"It's better to have a live baby without biological records than a dead one with them," said Finegold, who also has been active with teenage pregnancy prevention during his career.

Finding an advocate

When the Morrisseys heard in January 2007 that a baby was found dead in a trash barrel as the trash was being emptied, they knew they needed a new and more effective way to spread the word of Baby Safe Haven. They found that in the voice of then up-and-coming pop/R&B singer and Wilmington native Renee Marcou.

When Morrissey, who works at Wilmington Community Access TV, heard Marcou being interviewed, he thought she was the perfect mix of personality and entertainment to give a voice to the law through radio and TV stations throughout all six New England states.

Since Marcou began her radio station performances for Baby Safe Haven New England, calls to the hotline have jumped 20 percent Morrissey said.

"Nobody had ever done this before with a spokesperson/ advocate," said Morrissey. "Nobody had ever gone around week by week and on radio shows specifically targeting young people and talking about the law. She's completely defined what the job is now. She's been a complete barrier breaker."

"If we can help one person, than it's been a success, that's how I like to look at it," said Marcou, 19, who recorded her first CD in 2006. "It's just something that if there's any way that I can help out in the world I would love to do it, especially around here where a lot of people don't know what the law is and that there is another option. Everybody should know about it, women and men of all ages."

Marcou said ultimately the most important thing about the law and the hotline is preventing the death of a baby.

Since Marcou joined the Morrisseys, they have been on radio stations in Massachusetts, Maine and Connecticut and are currently receiving inquiries from other states.

The Morrisseys were also influential in gaining passage for the law in Hawaii, Vermont, Nebraska and New Hampshire.

"You don't expect this to be 100 percent, not for a year," said Morrissey. "No law is going to stop everything. But we're kind of surprised when you go 12 to 14 months without anything. It also takes a while for people to know it's out there. And we've been more successful as time goes on. Its very clear what's right and what's good and why we should keep doing this."

According to Morrissey, as of last month all 50 states have passed the Baby Safe Haven law.