Governor Bill Lee signed House Bill 1844 (sponsored by Rep. Ed Butler) into law last month, expanding Tennessee's Safe Haven Law to include ambulance stations with 24-hour staffing as approved newborn surrender sites.

Tennessee's Safe Haven Law, first enacted in 2001, gives parents in crisis a legal, confidential path to surrender a newborn they cannot care for. Any unharmed infant under 45 days old may be left at a designated facility – no questions asked, no charges filed.

Prior to HB 1844, designated surrender facilities included hospitals, fire stations, law enforcement offices, emergency communications centers, health clinics, and certain nursing homes. The new law adds ambulance stations to that roster and tightens the statutory language governing monitoring and staffing requirements. View all surrender sites here.

Many of those facilities now house Safe Haven Baby Boxes – temperature-controlled, alarm-equipped devices built into the exterior wall of the facility. A parent can place an infant inside at any hour, and an alarm will immediately trigger an emergency response, with paramedics typically on site within minutes.

Since Tennessee’s Safe Haven law took effect 25 years ago, 147 infants have been safely surrendered in our state. Nationally, over 4,500 babies have been relinquished through the program since 1999.

"Tennessee's Safe Haven Law exists to protect vulnerable newborns and provide mothers facing unimaginable circumstances with a safe, compassionate option," Rep. Butler stated. "By expanding approved surrender locations and strengthening safeguards, this legislation helps ensure no family is left uncertain about where to turn in a moment of crisis."

The numbers tell a sobering story about what happens when desperate parents don't know their options or can't find a surrender site in time.

The National Safe Haven Alliance reported that 156 babies were safely surrendered under safe haven laws across the country in 2024. During that same period, 39 newborns were illegally or unsafely abandoned – a figure that represents a 70% drop from 2004, when these laws first began spreading nationwide.

The results for infant homicides are equally dramatic: the CDC found a 67% decline in the decade following the introduction of safe haven laws. These are not inconsequential numbers – each rescue represents a precious human life designed by God for a specific purpose in this world.

Although tremendous progress has been made nationally, the crisis is not over. The National Safe Haven Alliance tracked 22 illegal infant abandonments in 2025 alone. Tragically, eleven of those babies were found deceased.

There are now more than 400 baby boxes installed across the country, with at least 24 in Tennessee. Safe Haven boxes serve as a last resort for desperate parents who may otherwise take unthinkable actions. If a baby box saves even one precious life, the financial cost would be well worth it.

The Knoxville Fire Department has already saved two babies through the program. Both infants, just days old when surrendered, were taken to a local hospital, placed in foster care, and quickly adopted. The department is now planning to build an additional box at Station 6 in East Knoxville.

Monica Kelsey, founder and CEO of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, explained why expansion to ambulance stations is so important: "We want to have more options available for these moms, so that they can find an option that they can live with for the rest of their life.”

Tennessee has always been a pro-life state that champions the idea that every human life has inherent value and is worthy of protection. This law is another step in the right direction, ensuring that mothers facing crisis pregnancies always have a safe door to walk through.
 
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