CHELSEA — More than two decades have passed since a heartrending tragedy occurred in Tama County. Twenty-two years ago, in the winter of 2001, a baby was found dead in a snowbank in the town of Chelsea.

Similar events have happened all over America, most recently, just under 100 miles away in Norwalk. Only one thing truly stands out about the 2001 case of ‘Baby Chelsea’; it became the catalyst for a piece of Iowa legislation that has since saved dozens and dozens of children.

In 2002, just one year after the death of ‘Baby Chelsea,’ the Newborn Safe Haven Act was passed. Chapter 233 of the Iowa code was written, so mothers in crisis have a choice.

Newborn children 90 days of age or younger are able to be harmlessly given to people who will take care of them. From first responders to hospitals and fire stations, the options of where to relinquish a child are abundant.

No explanation is required, and no charges are filed. The Safe Haven law’s central purpose is the protection and health of the child.

More than 50 Iowa children have been left at safe havens since the law was enacted, according to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services website. Seventy-three children were declared safe havens in the United States in 2021 alone.

In the same year, 31 babies were abandoned in backpacks, bathrooms, dumpsters, and other hazardous areas, 22 of whom were found dead, according to the National Safe Haven Alliance.

In 1999, the Baby Moses law was passed in Texas; this was the very first law where mothers in crisis could safely relinquish their babies at special locations. Since then, every state including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam has passed its own version of the Safe Haven law. Iowa’s Safe Haven law has changed slightly in the 21 years of its use. In June of 2022, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law an amendment changing the age an infant has to be when relinquished. Prior to last year, a child had to be 30 days of age or younger to be legally dropped off at a Safe Haven, now the age is 90 days or younger.

If a small silver lining is to be found in the tragedy of Tama County’s ‘Baby Chelsea’ 22 years ago last month, it would be the 50 plus lives saved thanks to the Iowa Safe Haven law. It would be the countless lives this law will help in the centuries to come, and it would be the choice that mothers in crisis now have.

The National Safe Haven Alliance has a 24/7 hotline for any new or expecting mother with questions or who are in need of help. Call or Text 1-888-510-BABY (2229)