Infant Safely Surrendered in Pee Dee Under Safe Haven Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Danielle Jones
803-898-7602
publicinfo@dss.sc.gov

Infant Safely Surrendered in Pee Dee Under Safe Haven Act

September 8, 2023- Healthcare professionals at McLeod Regional Medical Center recently accepted an infant surrendered under Daniel's Law, the Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act, on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. The SC Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act provides a safe, legal option to surrender infants up to 60 days old at designed locations outlined by law. 

The African American female was born on September 5, 2023 and weighed seven pounds, one ounce and was 20.75 inches long at the time of birth.

The infant was safely surrendered after birth at the hospital. Under the Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act, Marion County DSS took custody of the newborn, and after discharge from the hospital, the infant was placed in a licensed foster home.

Any person wishing to assert parental rights must do so at the Permanency Planning Hearing, scheduled for October 25, 2023 at 11:00am at the Mary E. Buchanan Marion County Family Court Center, 2515 US-76, Marion, SC 29571.

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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 seventh Daniel’s Law baby surrendered in South Carolina during the 2023 calendar year and the third infant safely surrendered in the state in the last 10 days.

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.