Nebraska Places Under Foster Care Teen Mom With Baby Seeking Safe Haven

October 24, 2008 9:05 p.m. EST

Omaha, NE (AHN) - Nebraska authorities have placed a 16-year-old girl and her eight-month old son under state foster care after she sought safe haven at an Omaha hospital but did not qualify.

The unnamed mother's aunt drove her niece to the Immanuel Medical Center on Oct. 17 as she wanted to place herself under the state's Safe Haven Law, which allows parents to abandon children without getting prosecuted. The girl claimed she sought refuge because her mother emotionally abused her, withheld state money intended for the care of her son, and kicked her out of their home.

However, the Nebraska Health and Human Services did not classify the girl's case as falling under the controversial Safe Haven Law, which is originally intended to provide a safe place where parents can leave children they did not want. The girl's mother, Portia Crawford, said her daughter left because they had a minor argument.

Crawford also denied her daughter's allegations and said she and her sister blew the issue out of proportion.

Crawford is questioning a court order to place her daughter under state custody without her consent and without an investigation. She said she will take her daughter and grandson back.