2 Edmonton hospitals offer newborn 'safe havens,' safe abandonment of babies

Alberta’s first newborn ‘safe havens’ are now open at two Edmonton hospitals – giving parents a safe option to leave unwanted babies.

The Angel Cradles are meant to provide an option for the safe abandonment of newborns.

The two new Angel Cradles are located at the Grey Nuns and Misericordia hospitals in south and west Edmonton. The marked boxes allow parents to drop their babies off anonmously in the emergency department at both hospitals.

"The reality is unsafe abandonment still occurs in western society despite a comprehensive array of health and social services," Gordon Self with Convenant Health said on Monday.

"In a moment of desperation, a parent may leave their newborn perhaps feeling they have no other option or when they perceive a barrier in accessing the various social services available to them. In these cases, the Angel Cradle provides a safe, last resort option where a newborn can be left anonymously."

The Angel Cradle is set to trigger an alarm after a baby is placed inside and the parent walks away.

Hospital staff will not try to locate the parents of a baby left in the Angel Cradle as long as the baby is unharmed.

Officials say leaving a baby in an Angel Cradle is not a crime unless the baby is injured.

“The reality is some parents feel they have no other choice if they have hidden their pregnancy or there are other perceived barriers to seeking appropriate help," Dr. Irene Colliton with the Grey Nuns Hospital said in a statement.

“And they end up abandoning their child in an unsafe setting.”

Self says Covenant Health looked at the example set by a newborn safe haven at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver before researching and determining that Edmonton needed it too.

“We pulled together a number of our obstetricians, social work staff and other clinicians in women's health, family medicine and emergency who related their own personal experience caring for women here at the Grey Nuns and the Misericordia who had just abandoned their newborns in unsafe conditions, some instances resulting in tragic outcomes," he said.

Although hospital officials did not provide CTV with numbers for abandonment cases in Edmonton, they say the need for Angel Cradles is there.

"I don't think it is an easy out, I think it's a resource that would be used by someone who felt they had no other choice," said social worker Lynn Laskoski.

In each cradle there will be an information card for the parent leaving the baby - with details on other social services and resources.

"I think it will open awareness about other resources and options that are available," Laskoski said.

St. Paul's Hospital opened their safe haven three years ago and Self says since that time, only one baby has been dropped off.

Edmonton and Vancouver are the only cities in Canada that offer unwanted baby drop-off locations.

The concept of newborn safe havens has Catholic roots, dating back to the medieval times. In the U.S., safe haven legislation has been established in a majority of states.

“As a Catholic organization, we draw on our rich history, which has a tradition of providing safety and care to those who are most vulnerable, including abandoned infants,” Self said.

“In a moment of desperation, a rash decision may be made that can have dire consequences.”

If a child is left safely in the Angel Cradle, the regular process of ensuring the protection of an abandoned child will be followed.

Once the baby’s health is assessed, the newborn will be placed in the care of Child and Social Services.