Infant surrendered to SC hospital, first of the year under Daniel’s Law
A baby girl was surrendered to Prisma Health Richland Hospital Monday under Daniel’s Law, the Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act.
The baby was born Jan. 8. She weighed 7 pounds and was 20 inches long.
She is the first baby to be put up for adoption this year through Daniel’s Law, which lets a parent take an unharmed baby younger than 60 days to a designated spot such as a hospital or fire station.
The Department of Social Services in Richland County placed the child in a licensed foster home.
The law was passed in 2001. Since 2009, 57 babies have been surrendered. Last year, seven babies were given up, the most during a single year.
The law is named for a child found covered in fire ants and a lime substance in an Allendale County landfill in 2000. Nurses in a hospital where he was taken after the rescue named him Daniel.
A permanency planning hearing will be held at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 15, 2023 at the Richland County Family Court, 1701 Main Street, 3rd Floor in Columbia. Contact the Richland County Family Court at (803) 576-3320 or the Richland County DSS office at (803) 714-7300 for more information on the hearing.
This story was originally published January 12, 2023 at 12:32 PM.