Nebraska's safe-haven fiasco

Nebraska's safe-haven fiasco

For the last few weeks, the nation has watched, appalled, as parents exploited Nebraska's poorly written safe-haven law -- meant to safeguard newborn babies -- using it to discard their young children and teenagers at hospitals without fear of prosecution. By now, the stories are well known: One mother drove for hours from Michigan to abandon an unruly teen; a bereaved widower turned over nine of his children, saying he could no longer care for them. In all, at least 20 children have been abandoned in Nebraska since the law took effect in July. The unicameral Legislature reconvenes in January, and Gov. Dave Heineman and a majority of legislators already say the first order of business will be to amend the law.