In her blue, jail-issue uniform, Matisha Goens, 28, appeared in
Domestic Violence Court last week, her head down and her voice barely
audible.
Her alleged crime? Leaving her 8-month-old daughter at a South Side
police station, wearing a pink jacket and wrapped in a Winnie the Pooh
blanket. Officers found the baby New Year's Day, taking in all the activity from her stroller.
Though the girl appeared well cared for, she is beyond the age in which
parents can relinquish babies anonymously and without fear of
prosecution, causing some to wish for more discretion and others saying
that support, not legislation, is a better way to address abandoned
children.
The debate, more specifically, is whether the age limit for leaving an infant at a hospital, fire station or police station should be raised beyond one month. On Jan. 1, the Illinois age limit was raised to that from seven days.
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Tags: abandoned child, Chicago, Cook County state's attorney, discretion, Donaldson Adoption Institute, Matisha Goens, Nebraska, police, safe haven law
