Debate over hospital "baby boxes" surfaces in Hartford hearing as advocates and adoptee rights groups clash

Hartford — A sharply divided hearing on hospital-based anonymized infant surrenders produced a wide-ranging record Tuesday as more than two dozen witnesses told the Childrens Committee whether Connecticut should allow hospitals to install medically secured receptacles that accept newborns anonymously.

Supporters said the devices would be a last-resort, life-saving option for mothers who fear arrest, family disruption, or exposure when they seek to surrender a newborn. "Safe-haven services are available to anyone who chooses them," testified Noelle Ozimek, a former director at the National Safe Haven Alliance, urging care-system improvements while urging caution on operational details.

Opponents, including national adoptee-rights organizations, researchers and several child-welfare experts, said the devices create secrecy that…