General FAQ
Learn What Our Project Cuddle Clients Ask About Us
We do NOT go out to pick up babies from dumpsters however, we're open to meeting you if you're pregnant, in labor, or just delivered, we’re here to help get you to a hospital CONFIDENTIALLY so you can choose a pre-approved Rescue Family to adopt your baby, or you can choose to use the Safe Surrender law, keeping in mind that your baby would go into “the system”. All help is free to you! “No baby deserves to die before having a chance to live, and you don’t need to end up behind bars when we can help you get a fresh start in life and be proud of the decisions you’ve made.”
Baby abandonment has always been an issue since baby Moses. It’s just that with more media presence, it’s being brought to light. Fear is the greatest factor in all of the abandonment cases that we’ve worked with.
Whether they’re the “good girl” and going to collage to be a nurse and there was a case of rape, or they have an abusive spouse who wont allow use of birth control, or dealing situations involving incest, they can’t accept that they are pregnant, also known as “pregnexia” (denial of pregnancy). To each woman/girl the baby isn’t a baby, it’s thought of as a problem or an object, like a tumor, and they deny it as long as they can, and they don’t know what to do until they hear about Project Cuddle. The next time you hear about a baby being abandoned, you’ll most likely think of Debbe- “The Baby Saver” and Project Cuddle.
All 50 states now have the SSL, however, every state has their own version. In other words, one state could have a 30 day period in which a girl/woman can surrender the baby, or change her mind and work towards locating the baby to get it back. Or like in California the woman/girl could deliver in a hospital and have her personal information erased from the baby’s records, or the Birthmom could deliver on her own and surrender the baby at a Safe Surrender Site.
However, we DO NOT RECOMMEND they deliver on their own due to this being a high risk situation for both the Birthmom and the Baby. Some Birthmoms have risked delivering on their own, and sadly have died. It’s too dangerous for them to deliver alone, especially when Project Cuddle can arrange for the woman/girl to CONFIDENTIALLY and SAFELY deliver in a hospital. Check this link for specifics on the laws in your state”
The average age is 22.5 years old, but we have had girls as young as 12 and as
old as 47 (thinking they were in menopause).
If you choose not to use Project Cuddle and use the Safe Surrender Law, the baby will go into foster care, eventually being moved to a permanent adoptive home, that "The System” chooses.
We've had girls contact us after surrendering a baby, wanting to change their mind and we’ve been able to assist in reconnecting them with their newborn. One girl contacted us too late, so to help her get closure she dictated a letter to the baby, that was printed on beautiful stationery, including the wristband number, and the second page that included important medical information that would be needed to help “The System” find the right adoptive family. Then sent to “The System” for the adoption agency to review and forward to the adoptive family that “The System” had chosen.
It is difficult to tell as statistics are not normally kept, but one publication by the Denver based American Humane Association, which collects such data, stated that 20,860 babies are abandoned every year which more than tripled in a decade.
Contrary to our name, we do not provide opportunities for Volunteers to hold or cuddle babies. They go directly into the arms of the waiting Rescue Families, however if you become a Volunteer and help a girl through a pregnancy, she may allow you to hold this precious little one.
We NEVER judge any girl or woman that is pregnant and calls for help. We try to nurture the girls and women and try to keep in contact even after the fact. We are here as the Birthmom decides whether or not to keep the baby and we charge nothing for our services. We help get the Birthmom medical care, emotional support, assistance in getting a GED if needed, etc. We NEVER ask for money from the Birthmom or the Rescue Family. We truly do care!
We are not an adoption agency or facilitator; we do this from our hearts. We charge nothing to the girls or our “Rescue Families”. We are a Volunteer-driven, non-profit charity whose only goal is to help each girl or woman make safe, legal decisions.
We are the bridge between a frightened girl who feels she has no hope and no help, and the positive ending that she can walk away from with her head held high knowing that she made right, legal decisions, and that both she and the baby are safe.
Because we want to maintain the integrity of our program, we do not have other branches. Our headquarters is based in Orange County, California, but we do accept volunteers from all over the nation and into Canada.