If you have a newborn that you're unable to care for, you can bring your baby to a designated safe place with no questions asked. The safe haven laws—also known as Baby Moses laws—give parents who are unable to care for their child a safe and legal choice to leave their infant with an employee at a designated safe place—a hospital, fire station, free-standing emergency center, or emergency medical services (EMS) station. When left at such a designated safe place, your baby will receive medical care and be placed with an emergency provider.
In Rhode Island, the Safe Haven for Infants Act (also known as the Baby Moses law) allows a parent to relinquish a newborn baby, up to 30 days old, to a safe haven provider without facing criminal liability for abandonment. The designated safe havens include hospitals, police stations, fire stations, and licensed adoption agencies. The law requires that the baby be handed over to an on-duty employee and that the infant has not been abused or neglected. The person relinquishing the baby is not required to provide any identifying information. Once the baby is relinquished, the safe haven provider will arrange for the baby to receive medical care if needed and will notify the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), which will then take custody of the infant and place them with an appropriate caregiver or in the foster care system.