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Senate debates 'safe relinquishment' bill for newborns amid due-process questions
Summary
Senators debated the first substitute to House Bill 12, which allows relinquishment of newborns at certain facilities and creates procedures for termination of parental rights; floor concerns focused on fathers' notice, anonymity, designee provisions and constitutional due-process risks.
Senator Valentine, floor sponsor of the first substitute to House Bill 12, walked colleagues through the bill’s core elements, saying it "provides that a mother or her designee may leave a baby that's less than 72 old at a hospital, as that term is defined within the act." He said the bill limits designated locations to hospitals staffed with 24-hour health-care professionals and removes a previously considered provision that would have allowed drop-off at fire stations.
Valen…
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