Dothan Fire brings first baby box to Wiregrass area

DOTHAN, Ala. (WDHN) — Unready mothers in the Wiregrass area now have a safer alternative to relocate their child.

On Friday, the first Safe Haven Baby Box in the Wiregrass area was unveiled at the fire station on 510 Columbia Highway.

This box is designed to allow mothers who do not want their child, to safely get rid of them.

Last year, Jakayla Williams was arrested and charged with capital murder after throwing her son in a dumpster with a trash compactor, resulting in the child’s death.

Monica Kelsey, the founder of the Safe Haven Baby Boxes says that the goal is to do right by the mother and child.’

“When a baby is surrendered, everybody wins,” says Monica Kelsey. “A woman isn’t being prosecuted, a baby isn’t dying in a dumpster, and a child is getting a set of parents that probably have been praying for this child for a long time.”

Once a child is placed inside the box, a silent alarm is triggered that will alert the fire station and other law enforcement.

After the child is received they will then be taken to a hospital to receive extra care.

With the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the recent controversy surrounding IVF treatments in the state, the Safe Haven founder feels that the boxes help protect all parties.

“Everyone wins. The child wins, the mom doesn’t get prosecuted, and a set of parents are getting a call that a child is available,” Kelsey said.

This box is just the first of many with two more coming to Dothan.

“We currently have two new stations under construction, one on West Main Street, which is station ten, and we’re relocating station three to Watley Drive, ” says Fire Chief Larry Williams. “Our plans are to have a box in each one of those stations.”

So far there are over 200 Safe Haven Boxes across the country.

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