DALLAS (AP) - The Baby Moses law gives parents of unwanted newborns an option but only 50 infants have been surrendered using it in Texas since 2004.

Texas Department of Family and Protective Service statistics during that time show more than 2,300 children of all ages have been abandoned and more than 1,600 children have died of abuse or neglect.

The Dallas Morning News reports that about 40 percent of abused children who die are younger than 12 months, causing some to question the law’s effectiveness.

The law offers desperate parents immunity if they turn over unwanted infants less than 60 days old at fire stations and hospitals.

Rep. Geanie Morrison, a Republican from Victoria who sponsored the Safe Haven legislation in 1999, says “if it saves one life, it’s worth it.”

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