The Good Life without teenagersThe state of Nebraska was the last state in the union to pass a safe haven law. Safe haven laws are designed to protect newborns by allowing their parents to drop them off (basically abandon them) at any hospital with no questions asked. Research has shown that the laws don’t really work (women who want to abandon their babies aren’t getting the message) but the laws probably have saved some lives. Nebraska decided to go a little further with their law, however. Rather than just cover newborns as most states do, Nebraska decided to cover all minor children, which in Nebraska goes up to age 19. The result has been at least three dozen teenagers being dropped off at hospitals across the state. Although some of the children had mental health problems that were overwhelming the parents, at least a few of the teenagers were simply being hormonal – in other words, acting like teenagers. The law doesn’t even specify who can drop the child off so in theory a neighbor watching your teenage daughter for the weekend could dump her off if she gets too annoying.

The most eye-popping case in Nebraska occurred Wednesday, when a 34-year-old father deposited nine children ages 1 to 17 at Creighton University Medical Center — and then walked away. The Omaha World-Herald reported that the man had a “history of unemployment, eviction notices and unpaid bills – and a psychologist’s determination that he lacked common sense.”

Lacked common sense? You think? Maybe that psychologist can check the Nebraska legislature for common sense too.