Babies In Boxes - The Anonymous Pro-Life Tool Saving Lives
In October 2021, actor and noted philanthropist Christopher Meloni appeared on the popular PBS series Finding Your Roots to delve into his family's history. Known for roles in series like Law and Order (as Detective Elliot Stabler) and Harley Quinn (as Jim Gordon), Meloni has made a name for himself through characters who often have a soft spot of the less fortunate, defending and enacting justice on their behalf. This is a characteristic that becomes even more unique when put in perspective with Meloni's own life, which wouldn't have been possible without the real-life defense of innocence affected by the kindness of strangers in late 1800s to early 1900s Italy.
While perusing documents on the show, Meloni read a certificate of identification for his great-grandfather, Enrico Meloni, that detailed his retrieval from "the wheel," a device that was quickly explained by Finding Your Roots' host Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. as a type of primitive drop box often built into the walls of churches where new parents were allowed to anonymously leave their newborn babies if they were unable to care or provide for them. The children were then raised by the church or, in the case of Enrico Meloni, a nurse who saw to his upbringing until the age of twelve, when he was left to his own devices. Dr. speculated that Enrico was most likely left in the Foundling Wheel because his parents were poor but also noted that, given this beginning, it is extraordinary that Enrico rose above his circumstances, eventually immigrating to America and building a thriving family that produced a widely successful actor. Meloni agreed with this sentiment and added his own emotional reaction to the knowledge, saying he felt an extreme gratitude towards his great-grandfather in that moment.
Foundling Wheels (modernized into Baby Boxes) still exist today in several US cities, where they can most commonly be found on the outside of Fire and Police stations. Outfitted with blankets, heating and cooling, postnatal packets for parents, safety-looking doors, and sensors that allow babies to be picked up by emergency professionals within two minutes, the boxes function as an extension of these first responder and medical services. Flourishing in that capacity, the boxes have enabled hundreds of babies to be rescued from abortion or abandonment. This perk was particularly highlighted by Live Action News in 2022, as the organization reacted to several relinquishment cases where infant remains were pulled from dumpsters and, in one heart-wrenching instance, the trash bin of a New Mexico hospital when the teen mother didn't want to admit she had been pregnant. Live Action noted that tragedies like those deaths would occur less frequently if more states implemented the life saving and anonymous baby boxes. Many Pro-Life groups have championed this effort for years, and after several box success stories, even the general public is beginning to take notice.
However, there are some Pro-Choice groups and laymen who argue against the implementation of Baby Boxes, citing the expense of installation and the inhumanity of forcing women to give up their children as drawbacks to the tool's usefulness. Notably, these critics have failed to suggest any of their own alternatives to the issue besides abortion, which not only separates a woman from her child but also brutally kills that child and leaves the mother with years of emotional and physical trauma that many never recover from. While the pain of surrendering a child is excruciating, mothers who do so can find some comfort in the knowledge that they've given their children a chance that abortion never offers. Early hardships are surmountable, but death is forever.
For Pro-Life advocate Monica Kelsey, the Baby Box initiative is of particular importance as the mission of her organization, Safe Haven Baby Boxes, but also because her own mother could have benefited from the option. Seventeen, pregnant from rape, and nearly pressured into an abortion in 1972, Kelsey's mother cherished the child she carried, but ultimately left the infant Monica at a hospital in Ohio. Realizing years later, after a career in the military and first response, just how close she came to death, save for the option to be cared for by others, Kelsey turned that heartache into action as she founded her company and now works to educate the public on Safe Haven Laws and the alternatives to abortion. To date, Safe Haven Baby Boxes has installed 191 Baby Boxes in fourteen states and has plans to continue its work until every state prioritizes the tool.
Though they routinely save lives, Baby Boxes are a woefully underused aspect of the Pro-Life movement. They utilize public safety resources and build on proven foundling policy, but are often invalidated by asinine arguments from the Pro-Abortion crowd. However, the boxes have begun to garner public interest, which may inspire wider appreciation and implementation going forward. At the very least, the boxes should be considered a viable option in a post-Roe, resource-curious, world.