[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 30, 2008)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E1615] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [[Page E1615]] RECOGNIZING MOBILE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY JOHN TYSON AND HIS WORK IN CREATING THE ALABAMA SECRET SAFE PLACE PROGRAM ______ HON. JO BONNER of alabama in the house of representatives Wednesday, July 30, 2008 Mr. BONNER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson for his leadership and support in creating the Nation's first Secret Safe Place for Newborns program in Mobile, Alabama. As Mobile's Press-Register recently editorialized, `` `Saving newborns' lives is a legacy of which Mobile can be proud.'' The brainchild of former WPMI-TV reporter Jodi Brooks, the Alabama Secret Safe Place program was created in 1998 through the hard work and support of John Tyson. Due to his leadership, every State has established a program similar to Alabama's as an option for mothers who are unable and unprepared to provide for their newborn baby. These programs allow mothers to turn over their newborns to a local hospital, fire station, police station, or other public entity without being charged with a crime. Within the time limit set by each State's law, the mothers are able to remain anonymous and will not be accused of child neglect. The mothers also continue to have the opportunity, if they wish to change their minds, to return and reclaim their child. When the Secret Safe Place for Newborns program began, it was all too common for distraught mothers, in most cases teenagers, to abandon their newborns in trash cans or in public places hoping someone would discover them. Some even went so far as to murder their unwanted babies. Due in large part to John's efforts, an estimated 500 newborns across the country have been saved over the past 10 years because of infant safe haven programs. John often serves as the spokesman for infant safe haven programs speaking to media outlets throughout the country and around the world on efforts to combat the unsafe abandonment of newborns. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join with me in commending District Attorney John Tyson and so many others for their efforts on behalf of newborns in Alabama and across the country. The success of the Alabama Secret Safe Place for Newborns program is a tribute to their efforts to save infants' lives--they are true heroes. ____________________