misunderestimation

While Nebraska may have had the best of intentions in mind, they are having big problems with the execution of their new “safe haven” law:

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 17-year-old boy was confirmed Wednesday as the 23rd child abandoned under the state’s unique safe-haven law, as the governor prepared to address changes in the law.

State officials said the boy’s stepfather and mother took him to BryanLGH Medical Center West in Lincoln late Tuesday and that the boy was in state care.

Lincoln Police Capt. Jim Thoms said the parents told officers the boy wouldn’t follow their rules and that they couldn’t afford some programs he needed.

Nebraska’s safe-haven law is the only one in the country that lets caregivers leave children as old as 18 at a state-licensed hospital without fear of prosecution for the abandonment.

The law was intended to protect infants, but it failed to define “child” in its wording.

The law is apparently the answer to the age-old question, “What do you do with a teenager who won’t listen to you?” In Nebraska, you drop them at the hospital and let the state deal with them:

A woman drove her troubled 12-year-old son to Nebraska from Georgia and abandoned him under the state’s safe-haven law, which parents have used to leave 20 children at hospitals since the law took effect in July.

According to the Fort Mills Times, of the 23 kids dropped off so far, the majority are in their teens, they come from Nebraska, Michigan, Georgia, and Iowa, and include a family of 9 kids ranging in age from 1 to 17. Can you imagine dropping off your 9 kids and leaving for good? Who could do that?

The law was intended to be a safe-haven for infants and toddlers, not a dumping ground for teenagers. Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman is taking action:

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Deciding he could wait no longer to address what has become a state embarrassment, Gov. Dave Heineman said Wednesday he will call a special legislative session to amend Nebraska’s loosely worded safe-haven law, which in just a few months has allowed parents to abandon nearly two dozen children as old as 17.

Heineman had planned to wait until the next regular legislative session convened in January, but changed his mind as the number of children dropped off at hospitals grew. Two teenagers were abandoned Tuesday night alone, and three children dropped off previously did not even live in Nebraska.

“We’ve had five in the last eight days,” Heineman said in explaining why he called a special session. “We all hoped this wouldn’t happen.”

The special session will begin Nov. 14. That’s less than two months before the regular legislative session, but the governor and others see a need to act quickly.

This entire situation is funny on the surface but tragic at the core. It provides a graphic illustration of the skills needed to parent teens and the glaring lack of support for those in the middle of the teen years. Teens can be a pain, but driving to Nebraska and dumping them off should never be an option. Hopefully, Nebraska will get things right again soon.

In the mean time, if you have a teen who is troubling you, get to Nebraska quickly!

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