INDIANAPOLIS — More than 20 years after they were abandoned, two baby boys are finally getting headstones at an Indianapolis cemetery.
The ceremony honoring Baby Ephariam and Baby Jacob was held Monday afternoon at Washington Park East Cemetery. Ephariam was found in an Indianapolis hospital parking lot in 2000. The next year, Jacob was found inside of a trash can.
Their cases sparked change in Indiana, spreading awareness about Indiana's Safe Haven Law. The law allows parents to give up their baby anonymously without arrest or prosecution.
"It's just incredible to me to see the power of our community, the power of love and commitment that we have for life. And for bringing this law not just passage, but absolutely into practical reality on an everyday basis," said Amy Brown, the former legislative liaison for the Family and Social Services Administration.
The first Safe Haven Baby Box was installed in Indiana in 2016. The boxes are installed at fire stations or hospitals, giving mothers a safe place to leave their newborn. Once placed inside the box, a silent alarm alerts firefighters or staff to the presence of a child, allowing them to quickly retrieve the newborn and get the baby to a hospital for proper care.
There are now more than 125 Safe Haven Baby Boxes across Indiana and over 200 in total across the United States.
A new Indiana law streamlines the placement process for surrendered newborns, bypassing the Department of Child Services, custody and foster families. The fire department has a list of adoption agencies to choose from to see the baby gets adopted. The agency vets and picks the parents.
Mothers can call the national hotline at 866-99BABY1 for help safely surrendering a newborn.