BILL NUMBER:  AB 1873
  VETOED	DATE: 09/30/2006




To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1873 without my signature.

Californias Safe Surrender Law provides an emergency alternative for
a woman in crisis who, statistics show, may otherwise abandon, abuse,
or kill her baby.  The current 72-hour period contained in
California statutes allows for a no questions asked safe surrender of
a newborn and is supported by research and statistics that indicate
that most neonaticide occurs within the first day.  Some experts have
raised concerns about this bill, which I share, that instead of
improvin g child safety, increasing the time that a baby may be
surrendered from 72-hours to 30-days, will have the opposite effect,
putting newborns in greater risk by keeping them in an unsafe
environment without proper care and supervision.

For these reasons, I am returning this bill without my signature.

Sincerely,



Arnold Schwarzenegger