Nebraska logs 27th abandoned child

Published 7:03 pm Tuesday, November 4, 2008

OMAHA, Neb. — Nebraska officials say a 15-year-old girl dropped off at a hospital is the 27th child left under Nebraska’s unique safe-haven law.

Children and family services division director Todd Landry said Tuesday that the girl was left at a hospital in Omaha by her legal guardian on Monday.

Nebraska was the last state to enact a safe-haven law, which is intended to protect unwanted newborns from being abandoned.

But unlike other states Nebraska’s law uses the word “child” without any age limit, and some interpret that as including teenagers.

A special session has been called to deal with Nebraska’s safe-haven law, and most legislators have already agreed to add the age limit of 3 days.