Editing Child abandonment (section)

=== State programs for facilitating anonymous child abandonment ===

* [[Anonymous birth|Anonymous birthing]] allows pregnant mothers to give birth to their child without revealing their identity or claiming any ownership over or legal obligation to the child. Different countries wait varying lengths of time from 2–8 weeks before putting the child up for adoption to allow mothers to return to the hospital and reclaim the child. Anonymous birthing is most often implemented as measure to prevent neonaticide and has been successful in multiple countries.<ref name=":022"/> Police in Austria report a 57% drop in neonaticides after the country passed a law allowing for anonymous birthing and free delivery in 2001.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-newborn-killings/newborn-killings-drop-after-anonymous-delivery-law-idUSBRE8BB1BI20121212|title=Newborn killings drop after anonymous delivery law|date= 2012-12-12|work=Reuters|access-date=2018-03-08}}</ref> Anonymous birthing provides the opportunity for mothers to disclose relevant health history to later be shared with the child and adoptive family, as well as access to hospital care to reduce risk during birth. In some states, France for example, mothers who choose anonymous birthing undergo counselling and are informed of available support structures to help them keep the child. Mothers who are seeking to anonymously abandon their child at birth may avoid anonymous birthing due to increased interaction with hospital staff and the possibility of undergoing counselling. 
* [[Baby hatch|Baby boxes]] provide a safe and anonymous way to abandon children, typically newborns, rather than resorting to infant exposure or neonaticide. Baby boxes can be found in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, South Korea, and the United States. Advantages of baby boxes include a greater degree of anonymity for parents abandoning their children and a guarantee that the child will be found and attended to. However, children are sometimes placed in baby boxes with existing issue or injury and baby boxes are under-utilized and costly to operate. It is also debated if baby boxes are an accessible option for rural mothers who may not be willing to travel to abandon their children.<ref name=":022"/>
* [[Safe-haven law|Safe haven laws]] allow parents of a child, typically a newborn child but age can vary, to abandon the child at a place of local authority such as a hospital, fire station, or police station with no further question. Some states allow the parent to reclaim the child within a certain timeframe. Safe Haven Laws passed in the United States in 1999 and have since been adopted in Canada, Japan, France, and Slovakia. It is debated if safe haven laws prevent child abandonment or neonaticide. As with baby boxes, one study suggests that mothers in rural areas are not willing to travel to abandon their children and would not be willing to travel to a hospital to do so.<ref name=":022"/> As of 2017, 3,317 babies have been surrendered via safe haven laws in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://saveabandonedbabies.org/|title=Save Abandoned Babies |publisher= Save Abandoned Babies Foundation|website=saveabandonedbabies.org|language=en-US|access-date=2018-03-08}}</ref>