BOSTON (AP) – A newborn girl was surrendered over the weekend in what officials are calling the first successful test of the safe haven law enacted last fall.

The healthy infant was turned in by a parent at an unspecified hospital in the Merrimack Valley, Department of Social Services spokeswoman Denise Monteiro said. The baby was later discharged from the hospital and placed in a foster home.

Monteiro said no other information would be released because of privacy concerns. But she said the baby was the first surrendered since Oct. 29, when Massachusetts became the 47th state to allow parents to leave unwanted newborns at certain locations without legal ramifications.

“I think because of the safe haven act no one panicked, which is what happens in an abandonment situation,” Monteiro said. “The child was brought to safety.”

In addition to hospitals, police departments and staffed fire stations are also designated as safe havens. The law only applies to infants who are less than 7 days old.

The bill was proposed in response to tragedies involving frightened parents who have left children in secluded spots to die rather than risk punishment by delivering them to the authorities.

AP-ES-03-07-05 0817EST