I have to admit that I chuckled when I first read that Nebraska's Safe Haven law was written so vaguely that a teenager could be left at a hospital. Safe Haven laws are "laws that decriminalize leaving unharmed infants with statutorily designated private persons so that the child becomes a ward of the state." The laws came about to battle baby dumping -- when someone just leaves an infant on a door step, in the bushes or a garbage pile after they decide they don't want or can't parent. So it was a bit shocking to hear that Nebraska was going to allow children up to 18 to be left at Safe Haven spots. My immediate thought was, "Good thing I didn't grow up in Nebraska!"

I was sadly too close to what was about to happen. Story after story has captured headlines of a parent of a teenager who has just had it with them and used the Safe Haven law. One of the saddest stories is of Gary Staton, who left nine of his 10 children at a medical center. "Staton said he surrendered the children because he was overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring for them since his wife ... died early last year."

Apparently the media attention has gotten the attention of the Nebraska governor and the legislature and they plan to revisit the age limits when they return to duty in January. Unfortunately, they are talking of reducing the age to three days old. That seems far too short of a window for a woman to decide if she wanted to parent or not. Heck, a woman who gave birth via cesarean most likely is still in the hospital on day three.

But the down right saddest story to come out of Nebraska is one of a 16-year-old girl who asked for the law to be used to help her:

The girl, who was escorted by an aunt last week to Immanuel Medical Center in Omaha, told a social worker that she was kicked out of her mother's home, according to court documents filed in Douglas County Juvenile Court. She also said that she had been emotionally abused and suffered physical harm.

Court records indicate that the teen's mother would likely be charged with criminal child neglect, though Omaha police said Thursday that no charge had been filed. The teen and her 10-month-old son have been placed in foster care.

Media reports fail to say if the revised Safe Haven Law will address parents kicking children out of their homes as abuse and if those parents will be charged.