Bill to extend Utah’s Newborn Safe Haven law moving forward

A bill that will extend the time period for parents to give up a baby under Utah's Newborn Safe Haven law is heading to Governor Gary Herbert for his signature. 

House Bill 97 from Democratic Representative Patrice Arent gives parents up to 30 days to relinquish their baby at any hospital with no questions asked instead of the current 72-hour window. 

Representative Arent championed the original law nearly two decades ago, and argued that new parents needed more time to decide whether they were in a position to keep their child.