Those of you who follow The Pro-Life Guys podcast might be familiar with the American phenomenon of “baby boxes,” which have been installed in fire stations across the country and essentially give women in need a safe place to abandon their babies. It’s a cool story, if you’re interested:
Anyway, this trend has now come to Canada, as well:
Construction of a Hope’s Cradle is set to begin Saturday at the fire station in Strathmore, offering a last resort option for parents who don’t feel they are able to care for a newborn.
The impetus for the project came in 2017 after a baby was found abandoned in a Calgary dumpster on Christmas Eve.
“As a new father this hit me pretty hard and it weighed heavy on my mind … and I thought, what can we do to not have this happen anymore?” said Strathmore Fire Department Capt. Eric Alexander during a presentation to town council this week.
“I thought about it and thought about it and a few weeks later another story news aired about Safe Haven baby boxes in the United States … my wife looked at me and said, ‘Why don’t you guys do that?”
There have been safe haven baby boxes at both the Grey Nuns Hospital and the Misericordia Hospital in Edmonton since at least 2011.