Des Moines, Iowa: Baby Girl Born October 16 Is Fourth Safe Haven Surrender of 2026

A baby girl born on October 16 is now in the care of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services under the state Safe Haven Act, the department announced on Friday, October 23. The girl will be placed with a foster family until a permanent placement is determined. She is the fourth baby surrendered under the law in Iowa this year, and the 83rd since the Safe Haven Act took effect in 2002.

The Safe Haven Act is an option for parents in crisis who decide they cannot care for a newborn. It allows a parent to hand over an infant up to 90 days old at a designated location, such as a hospital, a police station or a fire station, without facing prosecution for abandonment. A parent can also call 911 and surrender the baby to a first responder who answers the call. The department lists other approved options as well: an institutional health facility, an adoption service provider, or a newborn safety device placed for safe surrenders. A parent does not need to use the words Safe Haven for the law to apply. The department looks at the circumstances of the handover when it decides whether the act covers a case.

Lawmakers created the Safe Haven process to give a parent in crisis a safe and legal alternative to leaving a newborn somewhere the child could be harmed. Friday's announcement is the fourth Safe Haven case the department has reported in 2026. The first was a girl born on March 6 and surrendered on March 18. The second was a boy born on May 25 and surrendered on June 8. The third was a girl born on September 8 and surrendered on September 22. Iowa recorded five Safe Haven surrenders in 2025. With the October case, the total since 2002 stands at 83 infants.

After a surrender, the department places the baby with an approved foster family while a permanent placement is arranged, which in these cases means adoption. Friday's release did not say where the surrender took place and gave no information about the parents.

Iowans who want to become foster or adoptive parents can find information at iowafosterandadoption.org. The department's Safe Haven page explains who can surrender a baby, where a surrender can be made, and what happens after a baby is handed over.