Assembly approves bill allowing mothers to give up newborns

SACRAMENTO - A panicked mother could leave her newborn at a hospital anonymously without facing prosecution under a bill approved by the state Assembly.

The bill could save unwanted babies from dying in trash bins and other sites and allow them to be adopted, said Assemblyman Ken Maddox, R-Garden Grove.

''This will save lives,'' said Assemblyman Jack Scott, D-Altadena.

The bill was sent to the Senate by a 71-0 vote Thursday. A similar bill was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee and will be considered by the full Senate next week.

The bill would allow a parent to give up a child to a hospital emergency room within 72 hours of its birth without facing prosecution for abandonment. The parent would be allowed to reclaim the child within 14 days. Otherwise, the child would be put up for adoption.

Despite the unanimous vote, several Assembly members said they wrestled with the moral questions presented by Maddox' bill.

''Parents can be absolved of responsibility for the life they brought into the world. They can drop off the baby the same as a kitten or a videotape,'' said Assemblyman Tom McClintock, R-Simi Valley.

Assemblyman Rico Oller, R-San Andreas, said the bill was both a ''validation of life'' for the newborn and ''devaluation of parental responsibility.''

''They cancel each other out and you are left with the immediate need of the individual child,'' he said.

California is one of at least 28 states that have adopted or are considering ''safe abandonment'' legislation this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

On the Net: Read the bills, AB1764 by Maddox, and SB1368 by Sen. James Brulte, R-Rancho Cucamonga, at http://www.sen.ca.gov