In order to combat the wave of newborn babies that were being left to die by very young, drug addicted and/or abused mothers that was occuring in Michigan and around the country, the Michigan Legislature established the Safe Delivery Act.

Under this law, a parent can anonymously surrender an infant, from birth to 72 hours of age, to an Emergency Service Provider (ESP). An ESP is a uniformed or otherwise identified employee of a fire department, hospital or police station that is inside the building and on duty.

According to the law, the parent has the choice to leave the infant without giving any identifying information to the ESP. While a parent may remain anonymous, he or she is encouraged to provide family and medical background that could be useful to the baby in the future.

Once a newborn is in the custody of an ESP, the baby is taken to a hospital for an examination. If there are no signs of abuse and/or neglect, temporary protective custody is given to a private adoption agency for placement with an approved adoptive family. If the examination reveals signs of abuse and/or neglect, hospital personnel will initiate a complaint to Children's Protective Services for an investigation.