An 18-year-old mother in San Antonio recently handed her one-month-old son to a stranger at a downtown bus stop, along with the baby's birth certificate, Medicaid card, and Social Security card, then left in a rideshare without him. The stranger, Jennifer Benavides, called 911 and cared for the infant until police arrived. "It's upsetting to know that, with even all the resources that we have out there, that somebody would just do this," Benavides told KSAT. The mother now faces charges of abandoning and endangering a child.

Texas already has a solution built for exactly this moment: the Baby Moses Safe Haven Law lets a parent legally and anonymously surrender a newborn 60 days old or younger at a fire station, hospital, or Safe Baby Box, with no criminal penalty at all. But too many young parents in crisis never learn this option exists before they run out of choices.

Bexar County and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services should require hospitals, schools, and community clinics to actively educate new and expecting parents about Safe Haven surrender, and expand the number of accessible, clearly marked Safe Baby Box locations across San Antonio and other cities. A scared teenager standing at a bus stop with nowhere else to turn should never be the last resort. Pair this education push with real access to mental health and parenting support, so struggling parents are met with help instead of only handcuffs.

Sign the petition to expand Safe Haven access and support in Texas, before another parent and child are failed by a system that already had the answer.