New moms may not know legal way to leave a baby

A lack of funding to educate the public has limited the effectiveness of a four-year-old law created to protect newborns from abandonment, a nonprofit group said after a teenage mother allegedly left her newborn near a drainage pond in Marysville late Saturday.

The 2002 legislation, dubbed the Safety of Newborn Children Law, gives new mothers 72 hours from the time of birth to give up an unwanted child to a "qualified official" at a fire station or hospital.

While public-health advocates and legislators hailed the law as a major step forward in providing protection for infants, a lack of funding for health-education initiatives is frustrating some state and local officials.

"When the law was passed, no one [with the state] was charged with keeping statistics on how many babies were being dropped off," said Kathy Spears, spokeswoman for the state Department of Social and Health Services. "There was also no funding provided to advertise what the law was. We've been doing our best to get the word out."

Virginia Pfalzer, president of Safe Place Newborns of Washington, the nonprofit organization that lobbied for the bill and now provides education on the law, said the lack of state funding has made it difficult to get the word out.

"We do what we can. We have posters, brochures, small cards and stickers that go on windows," she said. "We're putting the information out there. Unfortunately in this case, the girl did not know about the law. This didn't have to happen."

Since the law took effect in April 2002, 11 infants have been left by mothers in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties, Pfalzer said.

Her organization receives no funding from the state and instead relies on private donations to supply materials on the program to health providers and educators, she said.

The mother in the Marysville case is a Mexican citizen, who police said speaks no English. But Spears said all of the materials printed about the law — posters, pamphlets and more — are in Spanish and English. Some are printed in other languages as well, but funding issues have kept many of those materials from being disseminated, she said.

Ralph Krusey, Marysville police spokesman, said the investigation into the case continued Tuesday. Charges against the mother are expected to be filed by this afternoon. John Stansell, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor, said Monday the girl would most likely face second-degree abandonment charges.

Police allege that the girl gave birth to a baby in a home on the 7900 block of 61st Place Northeast in Marysville late Saturday night, and then tossed the newborn boy by a drainage pond across the street after wrapping him in a plastic bag. Neighbors heard cries, found the baby and called police.

Cheri Russum, spokeswoman for Providence Everett Medical Center, said the baby was released Tuesday. Spears said the state's Child Protective Services agency was given emergency custody.

Police also indicated that the girl's sister and brother-in-law, whose house she was staying at while in the U.S. on a short-term visa, may have been aware of the pregnancy. Police have not said whether the girl's family could face any charges related to the incident.

Residents of the house have refused to comment.

Nathan Hurst: 206-464-2112 or nhurst@seattletimes.com