The proper way to abandon a baby

Various news sources are reporting that a young couple in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, has been charged with child neglect after abandoning their child at a fire station. After reading the headlines and lead to the story, I was confused because I thought S.C. must have a safe law that allows people to abandon infants at the hospital or fire station. Well, they do, but because the parents did not ensure the child was safe before they left, they have been charged. Apparently they left the child in only a towel in 30 degree weather. When the baby was found, it's body temperature was only 88 degrees.

So, I understand the concern and am thankful the baby was found alive. I wonder, though, about how much and how well the law about abandoning babies is communicated in terms of what is required of the persons leaving the child. (I doubt if people are using this route, that they want to stick around.) I mean they didn't put the baby in a bathroom at a gas station or in the trash somewhere. I am just saying, it seems they made an effort to do the right thing. They didn't do it right, but the effort was there. I just hope their arrests and charges do not deter people from "doing the right thing" in the event that some other young couple decides they don't want or can't take care of a baby appropriately. Just FYI, the father of the child is 21, I believe, and the mother is now 17, but was 16 at the time of the abandonment. I do believe in other outlets like adoption, but like adoption I'd guess this is a tough decision to make for the parents.