Safe site for surrendering newborns opens in Manitoba

Manitoba is now home to the second resource of its kind in Canada for struggling mothers who have to make impossible decisions for their infants.

Hope’s Cradle, based out of the Landmark Fire Hall in the Rural Municipality of Tache, provides an alternative to abandonment for parents who are unable to care for their babies.

Organizer Susan Penner told Global News that the service is a chance to save a life.

“It’s kind of bittersweet — we’re happy to have it open, but I kind of hope it never has to be used at the same time,” Penner said.

“I think it’s really important that there are options and resources for young moms who might find themselves in desperate circumstances and this is just another one of them.”

3:43 Safe site for surrendering newborns to open in Landmark, Man.

The service allows a parent to anonymously surrender a baby, by opening a door to a secure, temperature-controlled bassinet. The parent will also receive an envelope of resources.

Once the door is opened, the parent has two minutes to place the baby in the cradle and leave before a silent alarm is sent to first responders.

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Penner said the need for this service, which is now up and running after a two-week trial period, became more urgent after news broke of a baby being found dead in a Winnipeg garbage bin last year.

“It does happen. We know there’s more happening where babies aren’t even found”

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“So we’re hoping that if these can even just help one mom, one baby, that would already be worth all the energy and effort and time that has gone into this project.”

Hope’s Cradle, she said, can also be used by mothers who are in precarious situations and want to make sure their baby is safe, even temporarily.

“It could be a temporary situation where a woman is being trafficked and needs her baby to go to a safe place for a short time, so that might be an option for her to drop the baby off there temporarily and get the baby back after,” Penner said.

“Even as time goes on there’ll be a way to always connect the mom and the baby in the future if she would like that.”

The first service like this in Canada was installed about two years ago in Strathmore, Alta., just outside Calgary.

1:47 Community vigil held to bring closure for family of Winnipeg newborn found in garbage bin