Laws in ID, WA, and UT Allow Parents to Surrender Newborn Babies

Being a parent is tough. You never know if you’re doing it right, you just do your best, and hope.

Being a parent to a new baby while struggling with life issues and an uncertain future can feel nearly impossible. Many states have laws to help protect babies born into families that, for whatever reason, decide that the child would be better off in a different situation.

Can Parents Legally Abandon Babies in UT, WA, and ID?

There are a variety of reasons that a parent would choose to give up a child. Sometimes those reasons are long-standing and other times a change in circumstances can turn the world upside down.

In those instances, Idaho, Utah, and Washington allow parents to abandon their babies at designated safe locations, though each state has a different age limit after the birth of the baby.

Utah allows the surrender of a baby up to 90 days after birth. Babies must be surrendered to a hospital.
Idaho gives parents 30 days. Babies can be taken to a fire station, hospital, or an approved Safe Haven Baby Box.
Washington State offers a timeframe of 72 hours. Babies must be taken to a hospital, fire station, or rural health clinic.

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Unwanted babies must be dropped off unharmed at approved locations. Dropoff can be anonymous with no legal repercussions if proper surrender rules are followed.

The idea and implementation of baby boxes is relatively new. A tragic instance in Idaho was reported in 2024 when a dead infant was discovered in a box at a medical center in Blackfoot.