Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/Safe Haven Baby Boxes
A feud between two anti-abortion activists over so-called “baby boxes” in Florida has gotten so bad that one filed a lawsuit against her rival, accusing him of undermining her business and asking a federal judge to shut him up.
A lawsuit obtained by The Daily Beast pits right-to-life crusader Monica Kelsey, whose “Safe Haven Baby Boxes” have made her a quasi-celebrity on the right-wing speaking circuit (as well as TikTok), against Nick Silverio, founder of Miami-based A Safe Haven for Newborns, whom Kelsey accuses of making “false and misleading statements” about her controversial device. As a result, the lawsuit contends, “several fire stations… have refused to respond or speak to [Kelsey] regarding installations” of them.
The suit reveals intense backbiting between the two, and offers a front-row seat to a unique internecine battle in the deeper folds of the anti-abortion faithful. Both Kelsey, who prays over every new box she installs, and Silverio, whose organization is affiliated with Heartbeat International, a global network of “pro-life pregnancy resource centers” meant primarily to steer women away from abortions, are deeply religious.