Bill > H3113

This bill amends South Carolina's Infant Safe Haven law to provide more detailed guidelines for safely surrendering newborns, with a key focus on introducing and regulating "newborn safety devices" - which are padded, climate-controlled receptacles located at specific facilities like hospitals, fire stations, and emergency services locations. The bill allows parents to anonymously leave infants up to 60 days old at these safe havens or in these safety devices without fear of criminal prosecution, provided they do not harm the infant. The legislation requires safe havens to post notices about their status, offer information about legal protections, and attempt to collect (but not mandate) background medical information about the infant. When an infant is left, the Department of Social Services must quickly take legal custody, notify law enforcement to check if the infant is missing, and initiate a process to publish a notice and hold a hearing to terminate parental rights. The bill also provides civil and criminal immunity for safe havens and healthcare professionals who comply with the law's provisions, and mandates that the department submit an annual, anonymized report to the General Assembly about infants surrendered under this law. The primary goal is to provide a safe, legal alternative for parents who feel unable to care for their newborn, while protecting both the parent and the child.