The Georgia House of Representatives on Tuesday passed House Bill 350, a measure that would allow Safe Haven Baby Boxes to be installed at fire stations, police stations, medical facilities, and ambulance services across the state. The bill, cosponsored by Republican Rep. Dale Washburn of the 144th District, passed unanimously and now heads to the state Senate for consideration.

“Anything that protects a baby’s life is a good thing, of course,” Washburn said. “It just gives another option that will protect the baby’s life, and it is about protecting a baby’s life.”

Baby boxes are temperature-controlled incubators embedded in exterior walls of facilities, designed to safely receive newborns whose parents may be unable to care for them. Once a baby is placed inside, the exterior door locks, an alarm notifies staff inside, and the child is quickly removed for a medical wellness check. Infants are typically placed into state custody and often adopted shortly thereafter.

Under current Georgia law, parents can legally surrender unharmed newborns up to 30 days after birth to certain facilities without fear of prosecution. HB 350 would expand that law to allow the installation of baby boxes as an additional safe option for at-risk infants.

“Life is a great gift from God, and certainly we want to protect infants who are defenseless and can’t protect themselves,” Washburn said. “This enables a parent or a young mother to be able to put a baby in a secure situation where an alarm will go off and notify the folks inside the facility that there’s a baby there that needs attention.”

The Safe Haven Baby Boxes organization, founded nine years ago in Indiana, now operates at least 400 locations nationwide. More than 70 newborns have been safely surrendered in baby boxes across the U.S., with the group assisting another 150 people in safely surrendering infants through other safe haven options. The organization also maintains a confidential National Safe Haven Hotline, 1-866-99BABY1, offering free counseling and information for safe surrenders.

The bill’s passage in the House marks a bipartisan effort to expand protections for vulnerable infants while providing parents a secure, legally protected way to ensure the safety of their children.