Marcy Anne Kumer

A Message to Faith-Driven Women, Leaders, and Advocates:

Safe Haven - A Lifeline of Protection, Healing, and Hope

In moments of overwhelming vulnerability, true courage does not always look like holding on. Sometimes it emerges in the brave, selfless act of letting go.

For many women in our communities facing the crisis of unexpected pregnancies, those moments can be gripped by intense fear, profound isolation, and circumstances that feel insurmountable. Yet our care and legal systems offer a discreet, compassionate lifeline: Safe Haven laws—designed to protect both mothers and their newborns.

The Arizona Safe Baby Haven Foundation, alongside partner agencies nationwide, works tirelessly to educate communities, prevent newborn abandonment, and support parents in distress. Far from an act of abandonment, choosing a Safe Haven to surrender is a deeply intentional decision born out of protective love.

Standing in the Gap: A Calling for Christian Leaders

For Christian women—pastors, ministry leaders, mentors, educators, and community advocates—understanding and championing Safe Haven laws is more than public awareness. It is discipleship. It is protection. It is answering God's call to stand in the gap for the most vulnerable.

Scripture reminds us:

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." - John 1:5

When a woman knows her options, fear loses its grip. Education brings light. When Christ called His followers to be "the light of the world," He called us to reveal truth, protect life, and guide the weary. When faith-driven women speak openly about Safe Haven protections and the compassionate adoption community, they bring God's light directly into spaces where shame and panic once lived.

The Reality of Crisis: Replacing Panic with Mercy

When we read heartbreaking headlines of a newborn abandoned in a dumpster or hidden away in a closet, our natural reaction is grief and bewilderment. But behind those tragic moments is rarely malice; it is blind, paralyzing panic.

In the grips of severe trauma, deep denial, domestic abuse, or crushing isolation, a woman's mind can enter a state of sheer shock. Convinced that her life is over, terrified of condemnation from family or church, and completely unaware that compassionate help exists, fear eclipses reason.

We must meet that reality with truth, not judgment: no mother in crisis ever must make that desperate choice.

Under Safe Haven laws, it is entirely legal, safe, and anonymous to bring an unharmed newborn to an authorized provider. A mother will not be interrogated, shamed, arrested, or sent to jail. Safe Haven exists specifically to lift women out of terrifying shadows and into safety—ensuring the infant is protected and the mother is treated with dignity, mercy, and grace.

The Legacy of Baby Moses: Rooted in Faith and Grace

Across our nation, Safe Haven legislation is often known as "Baby Moses Laws," drawn directly from the sacred story in Exodus, Chapter 2.

When Pharaoh decreed that all newborn Hebrew boys must be thrown into the Nile River, a mother named Jochebed faced an impossible crisis. She hid her newborn son for three months until she could hide him no longer. Driven by fierce, protective love, she refused to let him perish. Jochebed prepared a basket of papyrus reeds, coated it with pitch to make it watertight, gently placed her infant inside, and set it among the reeds along the Nile bank.

God provided a haven through an unexpected protector: Pharaoh's daughter. Coming down to bathe, the princess discovered the basket, heard the baby's cries, and was moved with deep compassion. She drew him out of the water, spared his life, and raised him as her own son, naming him Moses—meaning "drawn out."

This surrender was not neglect; it was profound faith and protective courage. In the very same spirit, Safe Haven laws provide modern-day mothers in crisis with a safe, legal "riverbank"—a compassionate sanctuary where a baby can be placed into safe hands so both mother and child can have a future.

Understanding the Law: Variations Across States

Today, all 50 states have enacted versions of these Baby Moses Laws, though timeframes and protocols vary across state lines:

• California & Hawaii: Within 72 hours of birth
• Arizona: Up to 30 days to safely surrender an unharmed newborn
• Texas: Up to 60 days
• Other states: Up to 90 days or more

In Arizona, Safe Haven laws allow a parent (or their designated agent) to safely, legally, and anonymously surrender an unharmed infant up to 30 days old at designated locations—including on-duty fire stations, participating hospitals, and licensed private adoption agencies like Adoption Solutions of Arizona—without fear of prosecution. This legal framework is built on mercy. Choosing safety for a child is not giving up; it is giving that baby a future.

Spotlight on Leadership: Heather Burner's Life-Saving Advocacy

No conversation about Safe Haven in Arizona is complete without recognizing the tireless work of Heather Burner, RN. A dedicated registered nurse and Executive Director of the Arizona Safe Baby Haven Foundation, Heather's fierce advocacy has transformed infant safety statewide.

Most notably, Heather championed the pivotal legislative initiative that expanded Arizona's surrender window from just 72 hours to 30 days, granting overwhelmed mothers critical time to seek help and make safe, informed choices. Beyond legislation, Heather has trained thousands of first responders to meet parents with trauma-informed empathy rather than judgment, while directing crisis hotlines that agencies like Adoption Solutions of Arizona rely on every day.

Safe Haven in Action: 11 Years, 4 Lives, Lasting Healing

This mission is far from theoretical. Over the 11 years since Adoption Solutions of Arizona first opened its doors, this grace has unfolded in real time.

During this period, our agency has had the sacred privilege of providing refuge for four Safe Haven infants—two of whom were welcomed within just the last 18 months.

In both recent instances, the mothers reached out at peak moments of crisis, weighed down by fear, uncertainty, and crushing social stigma. Instead of condemnation, they were met with open arms, dignity, and a quiet, secure space where they could finally exhale.

Today, these children thrive in loving, stable adoptive homes. Furthermore, through modern, compassionate adoption practices, birth mothers have the option to receive ongoing updates about their children. What began at a terrifying crossroads has transformed into enduring peace, knowing their decision paved the way for safety, joy, and hope.

A Call to Faith-Driven Women: Be the Light

It is time to confront the silence surrounding crisis pregnancies head-on. We are called to speak truth into fear, guide women toward safety, and fill spaces of despair with hope. We must advocate with clear eyes and open hearts, ensuring no woman feels abandoned in her hour of need.

Safe Haven stands as a beacon of protection, healing, and hope. It saves lives—but only when women know it exists. Surrendering an unharmed newborn anonymously and without fear of prosecution is not abandonment; it is a courageous, deliberate act fueled by love and strength.

To every woman of faith and influence: you hold the power to be that beacon. Let your voice ring out in your churches, ministries, and communities. Together, let us empower mothers to make informed, courageous decisions and champion a community where life, dignity, and grace are upheld in every circumstance.

Safe Haven saves lives—let us make sure every woman knows the door is open.

24/7 Crisis Helplines & Confidential Support

If you or someone you know is facing a crisis pregnancy, feeling overwhelmed, or in need of confidential guidance:

• Arizona Safe Baby Haven Crisis Hotline: 1-866-707-BABY (2229) (Free, confidential, 24/7)
• National Safe Haven Hotline: 1-888-510-BABY (2229)
• Adoption Solutions of Arizona (After-Hours / Crisis Line): 520-400-4775

In an immediate emergency, you can always dial 911 or take an unharmed infant to any on-duty fire station or hospital emergency room in Arizona.

In our child welfare system, stretched to its breaking point, even the most dedicated caseworkers face an impossible task: supporting dozens of vulnerable children without the time or resources each child deserves. As overburdened systems struggle to keep pace, the stability and oversight that keep children safe begin to unravel.

To safeguard the next generation, we must confront these systemic gaps and unite as a community to ensure every child is seen, supported, and protected. When one caseworker carries the weight of dozens of fragile lives, the deep, attentive care every child needs becomes nearly impossible to sustain. The human cost is too great to ignore, and it calls on each of us—mothers, daughters, grandmothers, mentors, and neighbors—to look closer, speak louder, and ensure no child is left invisible.

If foster care is buckling under the sheer volume of children waiting for safety and stability, then we must begin listening to those on the front lines who are working to create solutions. The foster care system includes compassionate professionals, foster families, and advocates who dedicate themselves to helping children. Yet even the most committed individuals cannot overcome a system stretched beyond its limits. Children need more than good intentions. They need communities willing to work together to provide safety, stability, and permanent connections.

Behind every child's welfare case is a child with a story.

Two Halves of a Girl

The Green Bag

A childhood in foster care

A childhood packed into a plastic sack,

Heavy on a shoulder never meant to bear it.

Looking back over concrete darkened by rain,

Wondering whose doorstep comes next,

Whose rules to learn,

Whose quiet anger to dodge in the hall.

When adults are temporary,

Your heart learns to pack its bags too,

Quiet, defensive, ready to run.

A name in a file nobody reads,

Lost somewhere between casework

And the cracks.

The New Suitcase

A child finding permanence through adoption

Turn the page. Step across the seam.

Here, the sky breaks open into gold.

No plastic rustling in the dark,

Just a suitcase with wheels that roll forward,

A room that will not change its locks by winter.

Open arms wait at the end of the walkway,

Not because policy brought them together,

Not because circumstance required it,

But because love chose it from day one.

Here, her photographs stay on the mantel.

Here, she is seen through tender eyes.

Here, she belongs.

One important path toward permanency and stability is open adoption through dedicated agencies that work one-on-one with expectant mothers, children, and adoptive families. While adoption is not the right solution for every situation, it can provide a loving and lasting home when reunification is not possible.

Organizations such as Adoption Solutions of Arizona demonstrate how individualized support, transparency, and connection can help create positive outcomes for children and families. When an agency takes the time to truly know each child and ensure every adoptive home is stable, loving, and prepared, it helps create permanency before instability and trauma have the opportunity to deepen. Every permanent, loving home represents a turning point, often becoming the place where lifelong stability, healing, and happiness begin.

At the heart of true open adoption is a relationship built on dignity, trust, and mutual respect, not a simple legal arrangement. A child is never just a case file. Each child is an individual whose future matters and who deserves the opportunity to grow, thrive, and reach adulthood knowing they are loved and valued.

Unfortunately, many expectant and birth mothers find themselves feeling judged, pressured, or reduced to a number within an overwhelming bureaucracy. This experience can be isolating and discouraging, making it difficult to see a hopeful path forward.

A dedicated case manager can fundamentally transform that experience. More than a guide, this person becomes a trusted advocate committed to listening to a mother's story, understanding her grief, and supporting her hopes for the future. Through this partnership, the mother's voice remains central to every decision.

She can choose the family she believes will best care for her child, set boundaries, and help shape the future she envisions, all while maintaining a meaningful place in her child's story. In an open adoption, she is not surrendering her child to the unknown. Rather, she is thoughtfully placing her child into the care of a family she has personally chosen, ensuring that her child has the opportunity to grow up in a nurturing and supportive environment.

When a woman is approached with compassion, empathy, and respect, the decision to place a child for adoption can become an act of profound maternal love and courage rather than one defined by shame or abandonment. The journey becomes one of hope, connection, and empowerment, enriching the lives of both the birth mother and the family she chooses.

For meaningful change to take root, society must evolve alongside its practices. Historically, adoption has often been surrounded by secrecy, shame, and stigma. These attitudes have harmed birth mothers and left many adoptees searching for answers about their identities and origins. Thankfully, attitudes can change, and they are changing.

As communities grow in compassion and understanding, our systems must adapt. When open adoption is viewed not as something taboo but as a healthy, transparent partnership centered on the child's best interests, the landscape shifts. Instead of leaving children lost in overwhelmed systems, we can build proactive networks grounded in support, honesty, and belonging.

Systemic reform begins with individuals choosing empathy over judgment. It begins with recognizing that every child deserves a strong foundation from the very beginning.

Ultimately, this journey is not simply about changing policies or improving statistics. It is about choosing a more compassionate path rooted in love, empathy, and genuine human connection. When we replace impersonal bureaucracy with meaningful relationships, we create space for healing.

A birth mother can feel seen, valued, and supported rather than overlooked. An adoptive family can step forward with confidence, prepared to embrace its role in a child's life. Most importantly, a child can grow up knowing they were deeply loved and thoughtfully cared for by everyone involved in their story.

Making real change requires courage, dedication, and persistence from the people working on the front lines, as well as from the organizations supporting them. Budgets or bureaucracy alone cannot drive it. It must remain centered on children's well-being.

Real change will not come from any single agency, program, or policy. It will come when communities, child welfare professionals, foster families, birth families, adoptive families, advocates, and policymakers work together to ensure every child has a safe and permanent place to belong.

No single solution can meet every child's needs, but every child deserves adults willing to stand beside them and ensure they are never forgotten.

Together, we can build a world where every child grows up knowing they were deeply wanted, fiercely protected, and profoundly loved. Protecting children is not the responsibility of one system, one agency, or one mother. It is the responsibility of all of us.

"Children thrive when adults choose transparency over silence."

"A child is not a case file. They are a future, and futures deserve protection."

Author Bio

Marcy serves as the Case Manager and Outreach Coordinator for Adoption Solutions of Arizona (ASOA), where she walks alongside expectant mothers facing some of life's most difficult challenges, including substance use, homelessness, exploitation, and profound emotional hardship.

Her personal experience shapes her work. After losing her son in a hit-and-run accident in 2003, Marcy transformed her grief into a lifelong commitment to helping women and children find safety, healing, and hope. She later adopted her youngest son after he spent years cycling in and out of foster care, giving her an intimate understanding of the instability and trauma children can experience within an overwhelmed system.

Through her work at Adoption Solutions of Arizona, Marcy advocates for ethical, transparent open adoption and compassionate, judgment-free support for birth mothers. She believes every child deserves safety, stability, and permanency from their earliest days, and that every woman deserves dignity, understanding, and unwavering compassion.

The Box

The box is oblong, deep, and brown,

A wooden weight that holds me down.

Beside it sits a crystal frame,

A picture with a beloved name.

He stares at me beyond the glass—

Why did the lovely moments pass?

The top and sides are smooth to touch,

The grain I've traced and love so much.

My fingers feel the wood is cool,

In grief's hard, heavy school.

The rim is rough against my skin,

Holding the beauty locked within.

The days go by, the box is still,

Set in its place upon the sill.

It says no words, it makes no sound,

Yet speaks with silence so profound.

It holds a secret, dark and deep,

While I am left to watch and weep:

The secret of my darling boy,

My only vibrant heart and joy.

My mind struggles nightly to understand

How he fits within this small carved stand—

Just ashes now within the wood.

I'd bring him back if I only could.

I talk to him so I'm not alone,

Into the silence and the stone.

I light a candle for his sake,

To heal the heart that's bound to break.

The golden light begins to glow,

Carrying prayers he has to know;

The candle kindles hope for me,

As far as tired eyes can see.

I do it every night the same—

Whispered love by flickering flame:

"I love you, son," I softly say

To the brown box where his ashes stay.

I stare at the shelf where he has been,

And the box just quietly stares back.

The Article

I know that there is heavy silence because I lived inside of it for years.

In 2003, my world shattered when a hit-and-run driver took my fifteen-year-old son, Michael. For a long time afterward, my entire existence shrank to that small, oblong wooden urn sitting on a shelf, flanked by a porcelain angel. I spent years whispering "I love you" into the stillness, lighting a single candle each night to spark a flicker of hope in the suffocating dark. I carried a physical brick of grief into every room I entered.

Yet through the deepest valleys, I held onto God. I discovered that even at the bottom of the deepest well, a thread of faith still anchors the soul. One evening, I dared to ask God for what felt impossible: I asked to see the man Michael would have become—to glimpse the earthly years stolen from us.

In the quiet mystery of a dream, He answered. I saw Michael—not frozen as the teenager I lost, but standing whole, vivid, tall, and complete. That dream was my permission to breathe again. It was the sacred turning point where I realized that while his earthly ashes rested in a box, his spirit was boundless and safe in eternity.

With that weight lifted, a new life began to take root.

My surviving son, Jacob, believed in what I still had to give to the world—so much so that he acted and enrolled me in college when I was in my late fifties. Society often treats influence as something reserved for the young, the viral, and the digital. But there is a richer, quieter influence that cannot be rushed—it is forged only when you have lived through a waterfall of time, hardship, and survival.

In 2017, at nearly sixty years old, I stepped across the commencement stage, graduated with honors, and entered a new career as a social worker.

To an outside observer, it might have looked like a late start. What they didn't see was the crucible that brought me there: following Michael's passing, I endured the loss of my sister, both of my parents, an aunt, and two of my closest friends. But I also brought a hard-won triumph to my work: this coming January marks fifteen years clean and sober.

My path in social work led me from residential programs for pregnant teenagers to frontline street outreach for substance use, and ultimately to Adoption Solutions of Arizona. Every valley, every loss, and every hard-earned victory became the exact foundation I needed for the women I serve today.

When expectant mothers and women facing crisis walk through our doors—many carrying active battles with addiction or the weight of homelessness—they notice my degrees, my professional title, and the silver hair that I proudly dye purple. But degrees alone don't build trust, and professionalism alone doesn't heal trauma.

Women instinctively feel at ease in my presence, sensing a deep-seated honesty that resonates with their own vulnerabilities. They recognize that they are facing someone who offers a non-judgmental ear—someone capable of staying fully present, allowing them to express their pain without inhibition. When I take the step to open up about my own journey, they begin to see that I do not occupy a distant, elevated position behind a desk; instead, I stand alongside them, having navigated the very struggles they endure. I have waded through the murky waters of hardship they are currently battling, and I intend to help them find a genuine path forward. As this connection forms, the atmosphere in the room shifts from cautious defensiveness to a deep sense of relief, as if the burden of their worries is momentarily lifted and replaced with a sacred space of understanding and hope.

"I see you. I have sat where you are sitting, and I know there is hope on the other side."

True influence is never about exerting authority over someone. It is about being an honest, compassionate mirror that reflects their worth, resilience, and future.

Seeing Possibility in Every Woman

To the families who open their hearts and homes, to the colleagues who share in this vital work, and to the courageous birth mothers I have the honor to support every day, I want to express my deeply held belief: God still performs miracles in our midst. These miracles are not just stories from ancient texts to be read and forgotten; they are living, breathing realities that intertwine with our lives every single day.

Each week at Adoption Solutions, I have the privilege of witnessing profound transformations—where God gently mends shattered spirits, strengthens resilient families being built, and answers urgent prayers in ways only He knows how to arrange. There are moments filled with hope when a child finds a forever home, or a birth mother feels the weight of her decision lift, knowing she has made a choice born of profound love.

Birth mothers navigate a challenging journey, often feeling isolated and fearful after the adoption process. They need support and guidance during this pivotal time. By connecting with compassionate individuals who understand their experiences, they can find empowerment and reassurance, reinforcing that they are not alone in their journey and can forge a positive path forward. When I sit across from a woman who feels overwhelmed by her circumstances, my own past—the hard-fought battles, the grief, and the road to recovery—shapes how I see her. I don't see someone defined by her darkest season; I see a mirror of what is possible when grace takes hold.

That belief inspired these lines:

Time Sees

Your past is a whisper; It doesn't decide The boundless horizon Where your dreams reside.

Influence is the power to be a mirror Of someone else's possibilities.

When I look at a woman lost In the ocean's currents of addiction, I don't see a lost cause, Nor just a girl hiding pain behind a smile.

I see a woman of wisdom, Of strength, and of grace. Her journey carries the battles she has won, The grief she has held, and the work she has done—

Waiting to be found again, Believing in what she can become. Like me, rough and jagged edges Softened into a smooth, steady line of grace.

As I step into the office each morning, I carry with me a deep sense of purpose and victory. It reassures me that nothing is ever wasted in God's plan, and nothing is irretrievably lost when we entrust our journeys into His care. If you are at a pivotal point in your life—perhaps starting over at sixty after significant loss, or fighting valiantly against the odds for your very first day free from addiction—I want you to hear this truth: time is not merely a thief that takes away; rather, it is a purposeful force that refines and shapes us into who we are meant to become.

Behind this vibrant purple hair is a woman who has faced the complexities of grief, the challenges of aging, and the struggles of addiction, yet has chosen not to let those experiences dictate her identity or her future.

When we choose to persevere and extend a loving, nonjudgmental hand to help another woman find her way, we take one of the most impactful actions we can. Every encouraging word, every moment of patience, and every act of understanding can become a lifeline.

Refusing to quit—to carry on with grace, win a battle once again, and have the courage to look in the mirror and face the world.