The State-Level Impact of Safe Haven Laws on Rates of Infant Mortality in the United States: A Legal Epidemiology Study

ContextAlthough the United States has safe haven laws, which allow mothers to safely relinquish their babies to designated safety points, rates of infant mortality remain significantly higher in the United States than other similarly developed countries. The current study is seeking to explore the state-level association between safe haven laws and infant mortality in the United States utilizing a legal epidemiological approach. MethodsSeveral sources of publicly available data were combined to examine the state-level association between safe haven laws and rates of infant mortality. A backward stepwise regression was used to determine whether certain safe haven laws significantly predicted rates of infant mortality, while controlling for demographic variables. FindingsAfter controlling for demographic variables including rates of health insurance and poverty, safe haven laws stating that only the mother can relinquish a child, laws that protect parents from criminal liability, and laws requiring the provider to provide legal information and referrals significantly predicted rates of infant mortality, with the total model accounting for 70.1% of variance in infant mortality. ConclusionsSeveral elements of safe haven laws significantly predicted higher rates of infant mortality, including laws stating that only the mother may relinquish the child, laws that do not protect parents from criminal liability, and laws requiring a provider to provide legal information and referrals. These results have important implications for policymakers considering the reform of the safe haven laws. It is especially important to evaluate the effectiveness and origins of safe haven laws in the wake of the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Future studies should longitudinally examine how changes in safe haven laws lead to changes in rates of infant mortality. Policy Points This is the first study to use a legal epidemiological approach to examine the state-level impact of specific elements of safe haven laws on rates of infant mortality. Several elements of safe haven laws significantly predicted higher rates of infant mortality, including laws stating that only the mother may relinquish the child, laws that do not protect parents from criminal liability, and laws requiring a provider to provide legal information and referrals. These results have important implications for policymakers considering the reform of safe haven laws, which is especially important in the wake of the overturn of Roe v. Wade.