Infant Surrendered Safely Under Safe Haven Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Danielle Jones
803-898-7248
Danielle.Jones@dss.sc.gov

Infant Surrendered Safely Under Safe Haven Act

January 25, 2022 – Officials with Lexington Medical Center recently accepted an infant surrendered under Daniel’s Law, the Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act, on Friday, January 21, 2022.

The Caucasian baby girl was born on January 21, 2022 and weighed 8 pounds, 7.8 ounces and was 20 inches long. The infant was safely surrendered at the Lexington Medical Center. Under the Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act, Lexington County DSS took custody of the child, and the infant has been placed in a licensed foster home.

A permanency planning hearing will be held on March 9, 2022 at 9:30am at the Lexington County Judicial Center located at 205 East Main Street in Lexington. For more information on the hearing, please contact the Lexington County DSS office at (803) 785- 7333 or the Lexington County Clerk of Court office at (803) 785-8212.

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Editor’s note: The Department of Social Services has made a dedicated page on the agency’s website regarding Daniel’s Law in South Carolina with current data. This is the first Daniel’s Law baby surrendered in South Carolina during the 2022 calendar year.

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 abandonment for 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 organizations, please see this brochure.