Schoolgirl, 19, arrested after giving birth in bathroom stall and attempting to 'flush the baby down the toilet'

◼ When the male fetus wouldn't flush down the toilet, she dumped it in a trash can - Daily Mail

A 19-year-old school girl gave birth in a bathroom stall at her high school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on Tuesday and then attempted to flush the fetus down the toilet.

Cherlie Lefleur discarded the male fetus into a trash can in the bathroom at McCaskey East High School after failing to flush it away.

Investigators have yet to determine if the fetus was stillborn or born alive; an autopsy showed it was 27 to 29 weeks.

◼ Teen Who Tried to Flush Baby in Toilet Could Have Used Safe Haven Law - Life News

Micaiah Bilger, the Education Director for the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, says LaFleur had another option.

“If you live in Central Pennsylvania, chances are you have heard about the tragic Lancaster County incident where a teenager gave birth in a school bathroom and threw her baby in the trash,” she said today. “Officials say the baby was a boy at seven months gestation. They do not know yet whether he was born alive.”

“This story reminds me just how much we need to get the word out about the help available to pregnant women and new mothers in desperate situations,” Bilger adds. “Pennsylvania has a safe haven law to help new mothers in crisis. The law allows a woman who feels she can’t take care of her baby to drop off the newborn (up to 28 days old) at a health care facility, no questions asked.”

“Please help spread the word that help is available, whether mothers want to keep their baby, give it up for adoption, or feel they can’t take care of it,” Bilger concludes.

◼ Have questions about how the Baby Safe Haven Law in your state can impact you? Call 1-888-510-BABY. - nationalsafehavenalliance.org

California Safe Haven Law:
California Penal Code 271.5; Health & Safety Code 1255.7: You can leave your baby, up to 3 days old, with an employee at any safe surrender designated hospital in California.

Pennsylvania is one of 49 states that have passed a Safe Haven Law. How does Safe Haven work? ◼ It allows parents to relinquish newborns up to 28 days old. - FACT SHEET