Mon. Dec 23rd, 2024

The Battle Over Florida ‘Baby Boxes’ Gets Uglier<!-- wp:html --><p>Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/Safe Haven Baby Boxes</p> <p>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.</p> <p>A <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24400165-baby-boxes">lawsuit obtained by The Daily Beast</a> pits right-to-life crusader Monica Kelsey, whose “Safe Haven Baby Boxes” have made her a quasi-celebrity on the right-wing speaking circuit (<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@safehavenbabyboxes?lang=en">as well as TikTok</a>), 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.</p> <p>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 <a href="https://www.archindy.org/criterion/local/2021/06-25/babybox-sidebar.html">Kelsey</a>, who <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdGYB-EIupI">prays over every new box she installs</a>, and <a href="https://www.ncregister.com/blog/a-safe-haven-for-abandoned-babies">Silverio</a>, whose organization <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/over-300-babies-saved-by-anti-infant-abandonment-organization.html">is affiliated with Heartbeat International</a>, a global network of “pro-life pregnancy resource centers” meant primarily to steer women away from abortions, are <a href="https://asafehavenfornewborns.com/safe-haven-for-newborns-founder-honored-nick-silverio-recognized-for-catholic-faith-legacy-saving-infants/">deeply</a> <a href="https://www.kpcnews.com/newssun/article_ed8cd988-b827-5e34-b5db-bc1c8afbb72d.html">religious</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-battle-over-florida-baby-boxes-gets-uglier">Read more at The Daily Beast.</a></p><!-- /wp:html -->

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.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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