Spreading The Word About Child Abandonment Law Among At-Risk Teens

Elected officials joined prosecutors and law enforcement Thursday morning to back a bill in Albany that would help spread the word about a 10-year-old law intended to give young women a way to safely abandon their newborn babies. 

"No matter how good a law is, if isn't helping the people its targeting, it's a bad law," said state Sen. Eric Adams, D-Brooklyn, on legislation proposed in Albany that would allow for uniform instruction on child abandonment in schools throughout the state.

Concerns about a lack of knowledge of the Child Abandonment Act among at-risk teens came to the forefront this week with news of the arrest Sunday of 18-year-old Laquasia Wright,  in her building at Whitman Houses.

The baby survived the incident and is in stable condition at Brooklyn Hospital.

District Attorney Charles Hynes said at the press conference held at his office in downtown Brooklyn that he believed Wright was not aware of the law.

"She was afraid her mother was going to beat her," Hynes said.

Charged with attempted murder and endangering the welfare of a child, Wright was held with bail set at $100,000 on Tuesday. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Friday. 

Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, D-Brooklyn, a sponsor of the bill, emphasized the importance of getting the word out that teens had the option of turning their babies in safely at police stations, firehouses and hospitals, no questions asked.

"There is no distressed mother that should ever conclude that her only option is to drop her baby into a trash chute," Jeffries said. 

Though elected officials like Jeffries and Adams highlighted the lack of knowledge about the Child Abandonment Act, especially among economically disadvantaged young people, Hynes was quick to point out figures that showed the law was working as designed.

According to Hynes, 150 babies have been saved statewide because of the legislation. Of that number, 21 have been in Brooklyn. 

When the law was enacted in 2000, the state was averaging 15-16 abandoned infant fatalities each year, Hynes said. Last year, that number fell to 1.

A former 88th Precinct beat cop, Adams pledged to get the word out about the law to more teens, employing social media sites to spread the message.

The state Senator also planned to get Hollywood involved to shoot a YouTube video on child abandonment issues with the help of Ralph McDaniel of Video Music Box.

Adams wouldn't reveal the celebrities who have signed on so far, but promised it would be a great opportunity to spread the word to at-risk teens in places like Whitman Houses.

"I think this will really grab their attention," he said. "Because kids like the ones we're trying to get at, they don't read the New York Times or Channel 7 news."