Sen. Ernie Chambers called on Gov. Heineman and other state lawmakers Friday to convene a special session of the Nebraska Legislature to fix what he calls a "worsening situation," the turmoil created by the Safe Haven Law.

Its intent was to keep troubled mothers from leaving newborns for dead. Its author allowed for a broader age limit to get it passed.

"There needs to be somewhere so that these people who need help can go,” said Sen. Arnie Stuthman of Platte Center, who knew older children could be dropped off, but never expected so many.

Sen. Chambers says a special session is needed to protect others. "It could be a life-scarring experience and I want to bring that to a stop." Due to term limits, Sen. Chambers will not return to the Legislature in January.

Since taking effect in July, nearly 20 children have been left at Nebraska hospitals. Many of them have been children in their mid-to-upper teens. Nebraska was the last of the 50 states to enact a Safe Haven Law. In other states, those laws most often are intended for the protection of newborns or children under the age of one.

Nebraska lawmakers did not include an age limit so any child up to the age of 19 can be dropped off, and the parent or guardian is free of any prosecution.

Sen. Chambers has suggested setting a limit of three days old, but has opposed any Safe Haven Law from the start. So too has Voices For Children.

"We think it's illuminating many larger problems that families have that are actually driving them to abandon their children because they don't feel they can get services they need,” says Kathy Bigsby Moore with Voices For Children.

She says the state's services, especially for mental health, are woefully inadequate and that's where lawmakers should focus. "I think the debate needs to be so much broader than the age of a child under the Safe Haven Law and I think that's best served during the 2009 full session."

For the moment, Sen. Stuthman is also against a special session. "But I think we need to wait a couple weeks before we make that decision and see how many additional kids are dropped off at a hospital, especially if we would have a lot more from other states."

Ultimately, the decision rests with Gov. Heineman. "My preference and my hope is that we don't have a special session, but it might be necessary."

The Child Saving Institute's president and CEO says Safe Haven should be limited to infants, but the law fails to address the need for more resources for struggling families before parents reach their breaking point.

Gov. Heineman says awareness of existing resources is a problem and he urges parents who need help to call The United Way at 211 or the Boys Town hotline at 1-800-448-3000.