Infant Safely Surrendered in Dorchester County Under Safe Haven Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Will Batchelor
803-898-7835
publicinfo@dss.sc.gov

Infant Safely Surrendered in Dorchester County Under Safe Haven Act

January 5, 2024- Healthcare professionals at Summerville Medical Center in Dorchester County recently accepted an infant surrendered under Daniel's Law, the Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act, on Wednesday, January 3, 2024. The SC Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act provides a safe, legal option to surrender infants up to 60 days old at designated locations outlined by law. 

The African American male infant was born on January 2, 2024 and weighed six pounds, 15 ounces at the time of birth and measured 19 inches long. 

The infant was safely surrendered at the hospital after birth and was medically evaluated. Under the Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act, Dorchester County DSS took custody of the infant, and the infant has been placed in a licensed foster home.

Any person wishing to assert parental rights must do so at the Permanency Planning Hearing, scheduled for February 29, 2024 at 1:30pm at the Dorchester County Family Court Center, 212 Deming Way, Summerville, SC 29483.

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Editor’s note: The Department of Social Services has made a dedicated page on the agency’s website regarding the history of Daniel’s Law in South Carolina with available data going back to 2009. This is the first Daniel’s Law baby surrendered in South Carolina during the 2024 calendar year.

DSS released a new series of public service announcement videos on Daniel’s Law in August 2023. To see the ads, please click here and here.

A safe abandonment such as this is a perfect time to remind the public that the SC Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act provides a safe, legal option to surrender babies up to 60 days old. For more information about the Safe Haven Act, known as Daniel’s Law, please click here. For a listing of crisis pregnancy care organizations, please see this brochure.

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