PIERRE, S.D. (SDBA) — The South Dakota House voted 68-0 today (Monday) to allow the installation of “baby boxes” where parents can safely and anonymously surrender newborns.
The bill, known as the “Baby Gabriel Bill,” follows the August 2024 death of a newborn found at a Sioux Falls recycling center. The infant, named Gabriel James Doe by the community, received a funeral attended by hundreds.
House Bill 1044 adds baby surrender boxes as an option alongside existing Safe Haven laws, which allow parents to surrender newborns at hospitals and fire stations. The boxes would allow parents to surrender babies without face-to-face interaction.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Bethany Soye, R-Sioux Falls, said three days after Gabriel’s death, the Safe Haven Baby Boxes organization received a call from South Dakota seeking the nearest baby box. The closest one was in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The organization helped the caller surrender their baby at a hospital instead.
Soye said the bill doesn’t require state funding. She said organizations like South Dakota Right to Life plan to raise money for the boxes and promote their availability through billboards and other outreach.
The measure now moves to a Senate committee for consideration.
