UTICA, N.Y. — As Utica police continue investigating the death of an infant girl found at a local recycling facility, a former New York state senator is raising awareness about a law designed to give parents a safe alternative when they feel unable to care for a newborn.
Police say the infant was found Wednesday morning inside the sorting area of the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority’s recycling facility. Investigators are working to determine her identity and the circumstances surrounding her death and have asked the baby’s mother to come forward.
Authorities have not indicated whether the case involves New York’s Abandoned Infant Protection Act.
The law is intended to protect newborns by allowing parents to surrender an infant under qualifying circumstances without facing criminal prosecution and while preserving their anonymity.
Former state Sen. Nancy Larraine Hoffmann said the law can be difficult for some people to understand because it prioritizes the infant’s safety over questions about the parent’s circumstances.
“If an infant is left in any safe place, very shortly after birth with the clear intention that the infant will be discovered, then there is no crime committed and the anonymity of the mother can be guaranteed,” Hoffmann said.
The law applies to infants up to 30 days old. Its protections depend on the circumstances and applicable legal requirements; it does not mean a baby can be left anywhere without regard to safety.
Hoffmann noted it can be difficult for people to understand the fear or distress a parent may experience during an unexpected pregnancy or birth, particularly without support or access to prenatal care.
She said those circumstances make it important to focus on protecting the infant rather than judging the parent.
“It’s very difficult to grasp what could be going on in a young girl’s mind like that,” Hoffmann said. “So we can’t be judgmental.”
“We have to be accepting of the fact that there is now a baby someplace out there. And we want that baby to have a start in life,” she added.
Hoffmann said public awareness of the law is especially important for people who may be afraid to ask for help or believe they have no safe options.
New York’s Abandoned Infant Protection Act information line is 1-866-505-7233.
Police continue to investigate the infant’s death and are asking anyone with information to contact the Utica Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit at 315-223-3556.
Investigators have not publicly established the circumstances surrounding the infant’s death or indicated whether a crime occurred.