SENTINAL WATCH May 7, 2007 Issue

NEVER ABANDONED

ALLISON PHINNEY

THE FLUORESCENT YELLOW BACKGROUND and the black lettering at first look like an unusual traffic sign or temporary construction warning. I drive by it a couple of times a week, but can't easily read the words in the midst of fast-moving traffic.

Finally, I'm able to slow down enough to read them; BABY SAFE HAVEN. Please leave newborn baby at hospital emergency room or a staffed fire/EMS station or police station. No questions asked. But information may be given. Thank you.

There's no mention of mother or parents—the sign doesn't speak of "your newborn baby." One can of course see why it doesn't. But still in its attempt to be both brief and authoritative, the sign seems like something from a futuristic film—as though babies can simply be passed along, and have no particular parents or family ties.

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