Nebraska Woman Abandons Baby After Giving Birth on a Sidewalk

A 27-year old woman in Omaha, Nebraska gave birth in the outdoors on the sidewalk in 15-degree weather last Sunday at around 10 a.m. The woman then abandoned the baby but was found less than a block away. Prior to giving birth, the mother refused an ambulance to the hospital after a friend called the police to say she was experiencing abdominal pain.

The baby was discovered about 5 minutes after being born

The infant was discovered roughly five minutes after the mother gave birth and left the child, according to the Omaha World Herald. Their story reports the child is recovering at an Omaha hospital, and the police are considering charges against the mother, who was found by police about a block away from where she gave birth. Police are continuing to investigate whether they'll charge the mother and whether the state will take custody of the baby, as it was abandoned by its parent.

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Nebraska, like Iowa, has a safe haven law that has been in place since 2008. This allows any parent to leave a newborn at a Nebraska hospital within 30 days of the child's birth, without prosecution against them. The Iowa safe haven law is the same, allowing a parent to leave at a hospital within the first 30 days.

KETV reports the mother was found behind a house. Bystanders found the woman, who was crying, and shortly after was taken to the hospital to be treated. As of right now, there have been no arrests. The baby is expected to survive. Newsweek report there are over 1,500 infants illegally abandoned in the United States. Of those, roughly 900 die.