Headlines - Manning Fights for Newborns


Rep. Manning Wins Long Fight to Help Newborn Babies

Manning earns victory with bill to save infants
For years, we have been subjected to increasing numbers of stories involving young women in distress who have abandoned their newborns, often leading to the injury or death of the baby. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there was a 62% increase in abandoned babies between 1991 and 1998.

Responding to this tragedy, Rep. Judy Manning has fought for years to pass legislation to allow parents of newborns to be exempt from prosecution for abandonment or child cruelty if they leave a baby they might otherwise desert in the care of a hospital or doctor’s office. Representative Manning was able to pass her bill, entitled the “Safe Haven for Newborns Act of 2002”, through the State House by a wide margin- but her legislation was bottled up in the State Senate in spite of a broad consensus in favor of its passage.

Finally, legislative leader decided to move Manning’s bill to a vote of the full Senate. There, on the cusp of victory, Manning’s bill hit another roadblock as it was scuttled when lawmakers attached another, more controversial bill to her legislation. This forced Manning’s bill back into legislative limbo.

Rather than give up on her legislation, Manning worked even harder to get an up-or-down vote on her bill. Against steep odds, Manning surprisingly got her bill back on the floor- without the controversial measure attached- and saw it to successful passage to the Governor’s desk. A former DFCS worker, Manning was deeply grateful to her colleagues for assisting Georgia’s children.

“Every child deserves loving parents,” said Manning, “but the reality is that too many children are born into unwanted situations. By passing bill, the Legislature has made it easier for those children to survive, be adopted, and grow up in stable homes. This is truly a victory for the infants of Georgia.”


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