South Carolina has logged its 11th infant safely surrendered under Daniel's Law so far in 2026, after a newborn was handed over at HCA Healthcare Summerville Hospital in Dorchester County. The milestone, reached as of October 3, breaks the state's previous single-year high and underscores a sharp rise in parents turning to the state's safe-haven law rather than facing a crisis alone.
The Summerville surrender was confirmed as of October 3, 2026, according to WLTX, which reported it as the 11th infant surrendered statewide under Daniel's Law this calendar year. WISTV also reported on the string of surrenders taking place across South Carolina, noting the state's climbing total.
Before this year, South Carolina's previous single-year record stood at eight infants, a mark hit in both 2023 and 2025, as reported by The Post and Courier. Those annual figures had typically run in the five-to-eight range in recent years, making 2026's count of 11 a notable jump rather than a gradual increase.
A Law Born From Tragedy
Daniel's Law, formally South Carolina's Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act, was signed into law in 2001 after a newborn boy survived being abandoned in an Allendale County landfill. Hospital nurses who cared for the infant named him Daniel, and the law carries his name, per the account from WCNC.
By late 2023, public officials estimated that roughly 60 infants had been safely surrendered statewide since the law first took effect, the same outlet reported, reflecting more than two decades of voluntary surrenders under the statute.
How the Law Works
Under South Carolina Code § 63-7-40, a parent or someone acting on a parent's behalf can surrender an unharmed infant up to 60 days old without facing criminal prosecution for child abandonment, according to the state code as cited by Justia Law. That immunity is tied specifically to infants who have not been harmed.
Parents can lawfully hand over a newborn at designated safe haven sites, which include hospitals, outpatient medical facilities, law enforcement agencies, fire stations, emergency medical services stations, and staffed houses of worship during operating hours, per guidance from the Child Welfare Information Gateway. The law requires that the infant be physically handed to an on-duty staff member rather than simply left behind.
Once a newborn is surrendered, the South Carolina Department of Social Services takes custody, places the child in foster care, and must schedule a family court permanency planning and parental rights termination hearing within weeks, the same resource notes. Surrendering parents can remain anonymous, while the person surrendering the child is asked for medical information and, if possible, the parents' names.
A Public Health Backdrop
The rise in surrenders comes against a backdrop of broader infant health concerns in the state. State health data showed infant mortality rose 2.9 percent in 2023 to 403 total infant deaths, or seven deaths per 1,000 live births, The Post and Courier reported, citing figures from state public health officials.
South Carolina officials have pointed to expanded public awareness efforts as one driver behind the climbing surrender numbers, including statewide public service announcements distributed across broadcast and social media platforms, according to the South Carolina Department of Social Services. State officials have framed the surrenders not as isolated crises but as the law working as intended, giving parents in difficult circumstances a legal, anonymous alternative to dangerous abandonment.
