Alaska's open adoption law, while securing adoptees' rights, may deter women from adoption and push them toward abortion. Many of these women do not want their families to know about their pregnancy. It requires permission from the father, questioning, paper work, etc. Safe Surrender is an offer of assistance to women who might otherwise abandon a newborn. Under existing law a woman who abandons an infant is tracked down by the police.
Illegal abandonment can lead to a baby's death and the mother's prosecution.
It is an unfortunate reality that 64 percent of pregnancies in the United States are unintended. Alaska has one of the highest rates of rape in the country. In our society, the woman bears the burden of fault and responsibility for an illegitimate child. A pregnant teen may fear reprisal from a parent, which could include physical abuse or being kicked out of her home. In a relationship, the risk of violence to a woman increases when an unintended pregnancy occurs.