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Expanding Safe Haven: From Laws To Life-Saving Devices
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Two infants a year might sound small—until you’re the coroner who sees what happens when a parent has nowhere safe to turn. We invited Chief Deputy Coroner Riley Hoff from Douglas County, Washington, to explore why well-intended Safe Haven laws still miss families in crisis and how a simple extension—24/7 anonymous infant safety devices—can turn fear into a safe handoff and a second chance.
We unpack the real constraints on the ground: the 72-hour window, the requirement to face staff at limited locations, and the stigma that keeps parents from walking through a busy door in a town where everyone knows everyone. Riley brings a public health lens shaped by death investigations, touching on the pressures of addiction, homelessness, and mental health that complicate perinatal decisions. We contrast Washington’s experience with Indiana’s results, where secure, alarmed baby boxes linked to first responders have correlated with zero fatal abandonments due to abandonment and a growing number of safe surrenders. The point isn’t replacing people—it’s protecting privacy at the crucial moment when a parent needs an anonymous, immediate option.
Together we outline a pragmatic roadmap: authorize infant safety devices within the existing Safe Haven framework; set clear standards for installation, alarms, and response; and fund a statewide education push so parents, hospitals, shelters, and schools know the law. We also talk about compassion over judgment—why prosecuting a mother who leaves a newborn safely in a hospital can drive others away from care, and how hotlines and counselors can support without steering the decision. If you care about maternal and infant health, harm reduction, and practical policy, this conversation offers data, lived experience, and a plan to save lives—one quiet door at a time.
If this resonated, follow the show, share with a friend, and leave a review with your take on how Washington should modernize Safe Haven access. Your voice helps move policymakers and protects the next newborn who needs a safe start.
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Chapters
1. Expanding Safe Haven: From Laws To Life-Saving Devices (00:00:00)
2. Meet Riley Hoff, Chief Deputy Coroner (00:00:11)
3. Path Into Death Investigation (00:01:04)
4. Safe Haven Laws vs. Baby Boxes (00:03:50)
5. Awareness Gaps And 72-Hour Limits (00:06:30)
6. Washington Data: Relinquishments And Abandonments (00:08:45)
7. Indiana’s Model And Outcomes (00:11:16)
8. Public Health, Addiction, And Policy (00:14:05)
9. Preventive Action And Legislative Next Steps (00:17:20)
10. Human Choice, Nonjudgment, And Support (00:19:40)
11. Life In Washington And Closing Hopes (00:22:28)
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