Little Girls Get Bigger Every Day
Do you have a teenager you'd like to get rid of? If the answer is yes and you take the question literally, you'd better act fast. The Associated Press reports that the unicameral Nebraska Legislature is meeting even now to amend the state's "safe-haven law":
The safe-haven law was intended to save "Dumpster babies" by allowing desperate young mothers to abandon their newborns at a hospital without fear of prosecution. But lawmakers could not agree on an age limit, and the law as passed uses only the word "child."
All states have safe-haven laws, but in every state but Nebraska, the law applies to infants only.
Since the law passed earlier this year, five 17-year-olds, two 16-year-olds, six 15-year-olds, two 14-year-olds, three 13-year-olds and eight 11- or 12-year-olds have been dumped. And apparently there's no residency requirement: "Five of the children dropped off have been from out of state."
What's more, the definition of "child" apparently is capacious enough to include adults, as illustrated by the opening anecdote:
The mother was running out of more than patience when she abandoned her 18-year-old daughter at a hospital over the weekend under Nebraska's safe-haven law. She was also running out of time: She knew that state lawmakers would soon meet in a special session to amend the ill-fated law so that it would apply to newborns only.
"Where am I going to get help if they change the law?" said the mother, who lives in Lincoln and asked to not be identified by name to protect her adopted child.
Awfully sweet of her to go the extra mile to protect her child. Anyway, if things aren't working out between you and your teen son or daughter, a hasty family vacation to the Cornhusker State may be just the ticket.