SIOUX FALLS, SD (Dakota News Now) – Sioux Falls Police are still investigating the case of an abandoned infant found at a recycling center earlier this week.

The incident raises the question of a safe solution for parents who must make a difficult decision, something South Dakota Right to Life hopes to find in the near future.

South Dakota Right to Life is trying to get lawmakers involved to prevent this from happening again.

“The need is definitely there. Sometimes people ask, ‘How many lives will this save?’ But the thing is, you have to look at your child or adopted child and ask yourself how much that one life is worth,” says Assistant Director Jenn Lee.

The baby found on Tuesday is reportedly only the third dead baby found abandoned in the state of South Dakota since 2017.

In 2021, 31 babies were placed in dangerous places in the United States. That number has now improved, with all 50 states having laws against placing babies in dangerous environments.

“Most women don’t want an abortion because they feel they have no other choice. They are simply afraid and feel unable to cope with a child,” Lee said.

Although all states have such laws, only nineteen states have so-called Safe Haven Baby Boxes where women can anonymously surrender their babies.

“When a young woman arrives there, there are no cameras or anything like that. They open the box, it’s air-conditioned, they put the baby safely in a basket-like container and when they close the box again, an alarm goes off in two different places,” Lee explained.

And then the police take over the situation.

“It immediately alerts the authorities, who call 911, and within five minutes people are there to safely pick up the baby,” Lee explained.

Iowa is currently the only contiguous state that has a safe haven mailbox.

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