Teen couple surrender newborn baby to Texas store employees after unexpected birth
Local store employees offered to take the infant from a shocked young couple who claim they did not know they were pregnant
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A teenage couple in Plano, Texas, surrendered their newborn baby to a medical supply store after the mother unexpectedly gave birth.
An employee at the medical supply store, Hieline Mobility Solutions, said a teenage boy ran into the store asking for help after his girlfriend suddenly gave birth in a car in the parking lot.
When the employee went outside she found the teenage girl holding a baby who appeared to be less than an hour old.
“I open the passenger door to see a young girl sitting there with a newborn baby in her lap, wrapped in a towel,” employee Angela Owens told local news outlet KWTX.
The teenagers claimed they had no idea the girl was pregnant.
Ms Owens helped the couple and newborn while on the phone with 911. Meanwhile, another store employee, Tabatha Peri, rushed to help out the shocked couple by offering to get the teenage girl a wheelchair.
Ms Peri and Ms Owens said that they both have three children and could tell the teenagers were frightened and surprised.
Both employees explained to the young couple how they could surrender the baby at a Safe Haven location.
In Texas, Safe Haven laws, also known as “Baby Moses laws” allow mothers in crisis to relinquish their babies to specific locations where infants can be protected and provided medical care until a permanent home is found.
Locations include a hospital, fire station or EMS station.
However, the store employees feared the couple would not make it to the approved locations so Ms Peri and Ms Owens accepted the infant and offered to contact authorities.
“There was no thought. It was like right place, right time,” Ms Peri and Ms Owens said. “It was being a mother. We had to do what we had to do.”
The employees brought the infant to a hospital and tracked down the unexpecting parents to ensure they got help.
Local police told KWTX that the baby is in good condition.
It is unclear whether the Safe Haven law (also known as the Baby Moses law), which gives new parents 60 days to surrender their newborn to a fire station or hospital without repercussions, applies in this case.
“CPS is still working with the parents to find the best possible solution,” a spokesperson for Plano Police told USA Today.
Ms Peri said: “I hope they don’t end up in trouble because I feel like they did the right thing. That’s what’s killing me right now.”
“I’m proud of them for asking for help. That doesn’t happen all the time,” Ms Owens said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments