Indiana Celebrates Safe Haven Law Milestone
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The Indiana Statehouse will host a major event on Tuesday, marking the 25th Anniversary of the Indiana Safe Haven Law.
The celebration aims to draw critical attention to the law, which provides a legal and anonymous option for parents in crisis to surrender their newborn baby, and to push for enhanced education throughout the state.
Linda Znachko, Founder of He Knows Your Name Ministry, is one of the key voices behind the movement. Her organization has been dedicated for 16 years to ensuring every abandoned child receives dignity and honor in death, a mission that starkly underscores the need for the Safe Haven Law.
A Catalyst Moment for the Nation
Indiana has been devoted to enhancing the law over the last quarter-century, a dedication Znachko believes should serve as an example for the rest of the nation. Most recently, the state extended the surrender period from 30 days to 60 days, effective July 1, 2025, giving parents more time to make a decision.
“I believe this is so important because we have led the country in the way we have enhanced our law over 25 years,” Znachko said. “This could be a catapult moment for other states to look at their laws and enhance them—look at them in their next legislative session.”
Znachko’s ministry was born in 2009 after a baby was found abandoned in a dumpster. “Abandonment is criminal, and we see that in the news all across our country, women are going to jail for abandoning their child, and that is just so not necessary,” Znachko said. “These women can find resources and help in so many ways… they still have a right under the law to hand off their baby to a first responder or use the Safe Haven Baby Box.”
The Legacy of Baby Haven Grace Hope
The importance of the Safe Haven Law was tragically highlighted on September 1st, when an infant, named Baby Haven Grace Hope by Znachko’s ministry, was found deceased at Brookside Park. This discovery broke an 11-year stretch during which no baby had been found abandoned and deceased in the state.
Baby Haven’s legacy, Znachko says, is to prompt action and education. “To name her Haven, which means safe harbor or sanctuary, I thought, this is her legacy. She is going to be the voice,” Znachko stated. “I never, never want to do another funeral of a baby that’s been thrown away.”
The name Haven Grace Hope is intentional. The name Haven acknowledges the Safe Haven Law, and Grace Hope connects her to Amelia Grace Hope, an infant found in 2014 whose case inspired the creation of the Safe Haven Baby Box organization. Znachko has claimed and buried 61 abandoned babies over the last 16 years.
The Push for Education and Adoption
The event falls during National Adoption Awareness Month, a connection Znachko stresses is vital, calling the Safe Haven Law an “adoption option.” “With the Safe Haven Law in place, it is an adoption option,” Znachko said. “That baby has the hope for a future and is the answer to prayer for forever families.”
The ministry is asking Indiana legislators to spearhead the next 25 years of the law by implementing mandatory education in middle and high school health classrooms. “We’ve got to move forward and educate, and I believe we have to educate in the schools,” Znachko urged. “Until we become equipped, I think we’re going to still have babies falling through the cracks.”
The community is invited to join the celebration on Tuesday, November 18th, at 11:00 AM at the Statehouse to recognize the law’s importance and to support the call for increased education and resources. The Safe Haven Baby Box hotline (1-888-510-BABY) remains available 24/7 for anyone in crisis.
ABOUT HE KNOWS YOUR NAME
Linda Znachko is the founder of He Knows Your Name ministry and author of the nationally recognized and award-winning book, He Knows Your Name. He Knows Your Name is rooted in the conviction that every life is sacred to God. He Knows Your Name ministry gives children and adults dignity and honor in death by celebrating their life. Linda founded He Knows Your Name in 2009. Over the last 16 years, Linda has claimed and buried 61 babies. Through funeral homes alone, He Knows Your Name has honored 499 adults through headstone dedications. Through coroner’s offices alone, He Knows Your Name has honored the lives through burial/headstone dedication of 335 adults.
To listen to the full interview with Linda Znachko, please CLICK HERE.
Indiana Celebrates Safe Haven Law Milestone was originally published on wibc.com
