I was curious about the Safe Surrender statistics and I was able to find the numbers for California and LA County. It is surprisingly hard to find the statistics for the program. It has been in effect for 5 years already, and has been extended permanently recently (it was originally set to expire 01/01/06). This is not a very long time and we are not tallking about a huge amounts of data! I don't have time, but I would really like to see how this and similar programs work in other states/counties - according to www.babysafe.ca.gov, at least 46 states have similar programs in place.

There is very little information on www.babysafe.ca.gov, just a few pdf files - brochures for the program and a "Fast Facts" document, with some very basic information, including the following:

1. As of January 2006, 122 newborns have been safely surrendered in California, while another 130 infants have been found alive following their illegal abandonment.

2. In 2005, 51 babies were safely surrendered in California, making it the largest yearly total since the SSB went into effect. Los Angeles county leads the state with 44 babies safely surrendered since the program began.

So, the numbers clearly exist, buy why doesn't this, presumbly official program website, publish all the data available - why just a short summary (an excerp really, not a summary). This leaves so many questions: how many babies died after illegal abandonment; why give numbers for 2005 only - OK, it's the record year, but are the numbers growing steadily or?, and how many babies were abandoned in the same year (and since the program began); and why compare total for a year in California with a total of all 5 years for LA County?

www.babysafela.org shows data for LA county for a period from 1999 until 04/04/06 (which does not inlcude two recent illegal abandonments reported in the new lately - both babies died; and one safe surrender at a fire station - and this is only the cases I have heard about). Here is the data:

These are really sad numbers. Even though it seems that a year after the program started, children began to be surredered in the program, the number of all babies legally and ilegally abandoned has almost doubled! Did more women decide to abandon their babies (legally) becuse of the program? Were those the women that would not abandon their babies if it were not for this program? Was the information not reaching the right people? I wonder, now, after 5 years, looking at all the data - what could be said bout this program - successful? What else could be done to reduce the number of illegally abandoned babies?