Now that it's decided to add an age limit
to its "safe haven" law, Nebraska is bracing for another rush of
abandoned teens, left there by parents who say they just can't handle
their children anymore. Originally intended to provide a safe place for
parents (usually teen mothers) to drop off newborns, the law was meant
to curb neglect, abuse and infanticide. But its unintended consequence
has been to enshrine Nebraska as the place to bring -- and leave --
your troubled older child. According to reports from the state's
Department of Health and Human Services, 28 of the 34 kids left at
hospitals under the new law have been older than ten.
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