SALT LAKE CITY — This year marks the 25th anniversary of Utah's Newborn Safe Haven Law, a program designed to give parents in crisis a safe option to surrender newborns and ensure they receive care and find homes.
Evolution of the law
The law, passed in 2001, originally applied to infants up to 72 hours old, but has since been expanded to 90 days. It allows parents to safely surrender infants who are up to 90 days old at any hospital in Utah. No questions are asked, parents are not required to provide identification, and there are no legal consequences.
Aajai Johnson gives an introduction during an event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the newborn safe haven law at the Multi-State Agency Building in Salt Lake City on Monday, June 1, 2026. (Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News)
Babies must be taken to hospitals under the law, not fire stations or other locations.
Legislative intent and safety
Former state Sen. Patrice Arent, who sponsored the original legislation, said the law was created as a safer alternative for parents who feel they have no other options.
“I was hearing about… babies who were left to die in unsafe places because their mothers didn't want them, their families didn't want them. They were left in dumpsters; they were left in public bathrooms,” she said. “We hope that women can keep their infants, or that they will use traditional adoption agencies. But if they're not willing to do this, this is such a better alternative than what could happen to the baby.”
Former Utah State Representative Patrice Arent, the bill sponsor of the Utah Newborn Safe Haven law, speaks during an event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the newborn safe haven law on June 1, 2026. (Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News)
The adoption process explained
Once a baby is surrendered, hospital staff contact the Utah Division of Child and Family Services, which places the child with an adoptive family.
One adoptive family's story
Heather Peterson and her husband had been trying to have a baby for eight years.
Then they received the phone call that changed their lives.
“It was a miracle. From the minute we put him in our arms, we knew he was ours,” Heather said. “Because she was able to deliver and leave her baby at a hospital under Utah Safe Haven Law, that baby survived and was protected… and that baby became my son.”
Sam Peterson, now 24, was one of the first babies adopted under the program.
“I'm grateful to be living proof of what this law was designed to do,” he said. “While I don't know my birth mother's story… I hope she found peace knowing her son is safe, loved and given every opportunity to be successful.”
Heather Peterson, left, a mother who adopted one of the first safe haven babies, stands next to her adopted son Sam as they speak with press during an event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the newborn safe haven law at the Multi-State Agency Building in Salt Lake City on Monday, June 1, 2026. (Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News)
Impact and available resources
While state officials don’t track an exact number of infants surrendered under the law over the past 25 years, they say it continues to serve as a critical safety net for newborns, birth parents, and adoptive families.
Birth parents may also provide medical history at the time of surrender, but it is not required.
You can find more information at the Utah Newborn Safe Haven or by calling their hotline at 866-458-0058.
