Sitting with our longtime friend Pat Miller, we unpack how Safe Haven Baby Boxes transform a desperate moment into a safe handoff—alarms triggering on door open, climate control keeping infants secure, firefighters trained to respond in minutes without confronting the mother.

We go deeper than headlines to tackle the “now what” so often missing from pro-life debates. Our work meets women where they are—planning an adoption, handing a child to trained staff, or choosing anonymous surrender—without scripts or shame. Pat shares stories from the field and from his radio career, including the weight first responders carry when they recover deceased infants and the hope they feel when a box alert ends in a living child. We also talk growth: 396 baby boxes across the United States, each one a local system built on training, clarity, and compassion.

Faith runs through the conversation as a compass, not a slogan. Pat recounts the quiet conviction that led him to Christ; we reflect on choosing faithfulness over fame and letting open doors set our route. Looking ahead, we announce a first-of-its-kind retreat for birth mothers who surrender—distinct from traditional adoption services—and gatherings for families raising surrendered children, to normalize their stories and anchor identity in love. It’s about building structures that turn care into outcomes: faster responses, safer babies, and supported parents.

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A single email on spring break flipped our world: a newborn had been safely surrendered in a Baby Box, and we were asked to interview that night. Between a police station with spotty reception and a nurse’s instinct, we said a shaking, courageous yes. What began as a late-night Zoom became a story of rescue, resilience, and a family remade—twice.

We walk through the moments that matter: the training gaps first responders face around Safe Haven laws, the medical unknowns that shadowed the first days, and the kindness of a foster family who taught us newborn basics while we waited on a court order. You’ll hear how community rallied—diapers, formula, a nursery built in a weekend—and how National Adoption Day turned our living room into a media hub. We also take on the hard questions: how to tell a child her origin story without shame, how to honor a birth mother’s love and anonymity, and how to balance privacy with public education so more mothers know there’s a safe option.

Maya’s health journey moved from fear to awe as EEGs normalized and milestones stacked up, revealing a bright, strong-willed, hilarious kid who wakes up ready to take on the day. And the story kept growing. We revisit our earlier IVF chapter, transfer mosaic embryos once considered too risky, grieve the loss of twins, and welcome a healthy daughter at 37 weeks. That arc—from surrender to adoption to birth—threads together faith, community, and a simple family motto: open heart, open hands, open home.

If you care about Safe Haven Baby Boxes, adoption ethics, first responder readiness, or the everyday grit of building a family, this conversation offers practical insight and a steady stream of hope. Press play, share it with someone who needs encouragement, and help us spread awareness of Safe Haven options. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what part of this story stayed with you?

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Two infants a year might sound small—until you’re the coroner who sees what happens when a parent has nowhere safe to turn. We invited Chief Deputy Coroner Riley Hoff from Douglas County, Washington, to explore why well-intended Safe Haven laws still miss families in crisis and how a simple extension—24/7 anonymous infant safety devices—can turn fear into a safe handoff and a second chance.

We unpack the real constraints on the ground: the 72-hour window, the requirement to face staff at limited locations, and the stigma that keeps parents from walking through a busy door in a town where everyone knows everyone. Riley brings a public health lens shaped by death investigations, touching on the pressures of addiction, homelessness, and mental health that complicate perinatal decisions. We contrast Washington’s experience with Indiana’s results, where secure, alarmed baby boxes linked to first responders have correlated with zero fatal abandonments due to abandonment and a growing number of safe surrenders. The point isn’t replacing people—it’s protecting privacy at the crucial moment when a parent needs an anonymous, immediate option.

Together we outline a pragmatic roadmap: authorize infant safety devices within the existing Safe Haven framework; set clear standards for installation, alarms, and response; and fund a statewide education push so parents, hospitals, shelters, and schools know the law. We also talk about compassion over judgment—why prosecuting a mother who leaves a newborn safely in a hospital can drive others away from care, and how hotlines and counselors can support without steering the decision. If you care about maternal and infant health, harm reduction, and practical policy, this conversation offers data, lived experience, and a plan to save lives—one quiet door at a time.

If this resonated, follow the show, share with a friend, and leave a review with your take on how Washington should modernize Safe Haven access. Your voice helps move policymakers and protects the next newborn who needs a safe start.

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