Beyond the Box
Beyond the Box with Monica Kelsey is a powerful podcast dedicated to raising awareness, educating the public, and advocating for change in the fight against infant abandonment. Hosted by Monica Kelsey, Founder and CEO of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, this podcast dives deep into real stories, expert insights, and the life-saving impact of Safe Haven laws and baby box programs across the country.
Each episode features compelling conversations with firefighters, legal experts, healthcare professionals, policymakers, adoptive families, and even mothers who have used Safe Haven Baby Boxes. Together, they shed light on the challenges, victories, and ongoing efforts to provide safe, legal, and anonymous surrender options for parents in crisis.
From heartwarming rescue stories to policy discussions shaping the future, Beyond the Box is a must-listen for anyone passionate about saving lives and supporting vulnerable infants.
Beyond the Box
#4: How Kentucky Became a National Leader in Infant Safety with Rep. Nancy Tate
Kentucky State Representative Nancy Tate joins Monica Kelsey to share the powerful legislative journey behind bringing Safe Haven Baby Boxes to the Commonwealth. As a freshman legislator, Tate led the charge on three bills that passed unanimously—an extraordinary feat in today’s political climate. Her passion was sparked by the real-life abandonment of a baby in Bowling Green, and she went above and beyond by visiting Indiana to see the technology in action before advocating for it back home.
Together, Tate and Kelsey dive into how baby boxes meet mothers in crisis with compassion and discretion. In a culture increasingly shaped by privacy and digital interactions, anonymous surrender options provide a modern, life-saving solution. As Kelsey puts it, “These kids are doing everything behind a screen,” and baby boxes meet that reality with dignity and care.
Today, Kentucky has over 50 baby boxes thanks to grassroots support—not government funding. Tate’s vision of 155 boxes, one in every county, continues to rally communities statewide. Through heartfelt stories of birth mothers and adoptive families, this episode highlights how real change begins with understanding human needs—and ends with lives saved.
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This is Monica Kelsey from Beyond the Box. We are on the road with a special guest today, Nancy Tate, from the state of Kentucky, who championed the state of Kentucky with a newborn safety device bill that got no, no votes in the House or the Senate. You do not wanna miss this. Stay tuned. I am so excited to interview you because you're my first AKA active legislator that I've been able to interview. I interviewed the other day Casey Cox, who is the original author of the safe Haven baby box bill back in 2016, who is now. It's now become a a model legislation across the country, but I haven't been able to interview any legislators yet, and so you're my first, and I couldn't have thought of a better person to have as the first legislator. So welcome, Nancy Tate.
Nancy Tate:Thank you very much and I appreciate the opportunity to be here with you and to represent Kentucky.
Monica Kelsey:Oh, you are representing Kentucky, let me just say, and you're doing a wonderful job, thank you. So, for those of you who don't know, for those of our listeners who don't know who you are, give us just a short background of who you are and how you know me.
Nancy Tate:Sure. So I'm State Representative Nancy Tate. I represent Mead and Hardin counties, which are small areas around the Fort Knox district, and so that's real exciting to have all the active service members and all the veterans. I'm married. I've been married for 40 years, I've got three wonderful children and five grandchildren, and so, regardless of all the accomplishments from a professional perspective, they're absolutely my the greatest, you know. They've got my heart. So best gift, best gift, absolutely yeah.
Monica Kelsey:And so you are a legislator that championed back in, I believe, 2019. You started looking into it Right, and then 2020 hit and we really didn't go much. Anyway, I don't think any legislation passed in 2020, for obvious reasons. And then you picked it back up Right, and so just kind of give me a little history on that and how you got to the point of I'm gonna take this on, you know, I mean, because this was a big job. Sure, this, this was this had never been done in American history before in, especially in Kentucky. For you, there had only been, I think, three states at that time that actually had baby boxes when you started champion this. And so what was your thoughts on that when you first heard about it and decided to take it on?
Nancy Tate:well, so I started my pro-life mission whenever I was 25, so several years ago, and my mom, actually she got me involved in this, and so I have just. My mom had five children by the time she was 25. So, you know, she was the typical Kentucky back then, kentucky back then and one of the things that she said was that, while she had five children, that her greatest regret in life was that she didn't have more, and she even said that the fifth child was the only one that was really planned. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, she. So, you know, love for babies and love for families is just instilled in my heart because that's that's, that's that's the United States, that's our culture.
Monica Kelsey:That's.
Nancy Tate:Kentucky culture Absolutely Grew up with this, and so you know, this is my mission to support women and to support children and support their families, and that's exactly one of the reasons, primary reasons why I became a legislator is to be able to protect families and to protect women's interests. And so, whenever this idea was brought to me and it was brought to me because in 2018, there was a baby in Bowling Green that was abandoned at the church steps and I say abandoned because, even though we had a safe haven law, this baby was put in a box on the church steps in December and so there were some of my constituents that just said, nancy, this is your wheelhouse, you need to get involved in this and I was like, oh my gosh, you're absolutely right. So I called Monica Kelsey.
Monica Kelsey:I bet I answered too, didn't I you? Did you answered right?
Nancy Tate:And so I just people go. You know, nancy, you need to do something and I went up. I'm so always pleasantly surprised and pleased when people like Monica Kelsey answer the phone. You know I'm like, all right, tell me everything, you're busy, I'm busy. Tell me everything I need to know about the safe haven baby boxes. And you did. And I was like, okay, I got it and I just started running with that and it was just so exciting to watch people go. What is this? What is this, nancy? What did you bring to us? You know, cause I was a junior, I mean, I was a freshman legislator at that point.
Monica Kelsey:And I was just like brand new and I was just like hit the ground running it was a big job and it was so exciting just to watch people go.
Nancy Tate:OK, I really don't know if I can trust you or not, but I'm going to let you do this and we're going to see how this works. And it's just been amazing. Kentucky has absolutely embraced safe haven baby boxes. We've got over 50 now and it's just exciting how people are just going. How you know, we don't know how to help, but this is a great idea. How do we help? How do we help? How do we help? How do we help? So?
Monica Kelsey:did it surprise you when we met or when you called me and I shared with you the opposition? Oh, absolutely, because everybody that calls me, I tell them all the good, but I also tell them all the bad. Oh, absolutely.
Monica Kelsey:Because there is people out there that is trying to shut us down on a daily basis? Sure, and so did it surprise you when I started telling you that there were actually people out there that were completely against safe haven baby boxes and the anonymity piece? Sure, I don't really. Sometimes I really don't think it's really the baby boxes that they are so angry about. I think it's the fact that the anonymity, that that these parents don't have to to give any information. They just drop these babies off and walk away, and I think I think that surprises people sometimes. But what were your thoughts when I started telling you about the opposition?
Nancy Tate:Yeah, I think what I said was. If I recall, I think I said tell me the good, the bad and the ugly. Yeah, because I'm going to get opposition. I need to be able to represent this Boy. Did you get opposition?
Monica Kelsey:Absolutely.
Nancy Tate:We sure did. Sure, and you did. You told me the good, the bad and the ugly, and I, you know, I've lobbied for this.
Monica Kelsey:You know we have background conversations, backroom conversations about this and I said, okay, I love the smoky backroom conversations with the whiskey and the glass. You know that my husband always tells me about the backroom?
Nancy Tate:Sure, absolutely, but I didn't have to make any like deals with this.
Nancy Tate:You know it was basically absolutely tell me, nancy, tell me the truth, tell me everything, and that's what I ask you for. Tell me the good, the bad and the ugly, because I know I'm going to get that and I really want to be able to represent this and to speak honestly about this. And so you gave me that and that's. And then, when it hit, we were all prepared. You know, people were like okay, nancy, what the heck is this? And I said I told you this. I told you before this came in, that this is exactly what was going to happen. But I think the thing is is that I love the safe haven baby boxes because we're using you're using modern day technology and I'm a technologist, you know that's, that was my career and I understand technology. And when you describe that to me, I was like I get this, I absolutely get it. And when I start describing it to other people, I start with the basics, right, and then I move up to the advanced technology, right. And then I'm like, oh, I understand how this works, right.
Monica Kelsey:Well, and so let's go. Let's go into that, because you were very, very you wanted your hands on everything. When you first started this you actually drove up to seymour, indiana, before you even, I think, filed the bill, and said I've got, I've got to see this before I lobby for it. That's right, and so tell me about that, tell me about meeting uh chief lucas down there.
Nancy Tate:Um, uh, and you know, seeing the box for the first time yeah, so that's it, because you know, I said I want to be able to touch, taste, smell, smell, feel this.
Monica Kelsey:I want to know how it works.
Nancy Tate:I want to know how this thing works, and so that was really a great experience to walk in and just the passion of the people at the fire station there at Seymour, they were just like all gung ho and when you see regular people, you know grassroots people that are real excited about something and just totally embrace it, you know that was exciting to be able to, for me to experience that and to see that. And again, the good, the bad and the ugly, and you know we, we, we, they exercise the box. They showed me exactly how it worked and how quickly they could respond to when a baby is actually surrendered.
Nancy Tate:And they already had their baby at that time. At that time, they had not.
Monica Kelsey:They had not. They had not Because that box, I want to say, was only active, for maybe it had to have been less than a year, and then baby Maya came through that box, and so you were there before that, Absolutely.
Nancy Tate:It was just, you know, hot off the press as they say.
Monica Kelsey:right, it was just hot off the press, it was just, you know, hot off the press, as they say.
Nancy Tate:Right, it was just hot off the press, it was literally, because these are all press releases. This is a big deal. The people in Seymour made it a big deal.
Monica Kelsey:The whole community supported that mayor said yeah, no, we, we don't need that here, we don't want to encourage anyone, and I sat across the table from this mayor thinking to myself. He is so out of tune, Absolutely, and so he so this high school senior, um Hunter was his name, and he goes to the general or to the city council in Seymour and says, hey, I've raised all this money by plowing or by shoveling snow scrapping metal and mowing grass $10,000.
Monica Kelsey:This kid raised just by doing that. And he goes in front of the city council and says hey, I want, I want to give this to you, I want to, I want to give this box to you, I've got the money. What can? And they overwhelmingly said yes, and then they get a baby and so it's like Christ just knew exactly where that box needed.
Monica Kelsey:That's exactly right. But okay, so you went and you've seen, you've seen the box in Seymour, met the guys, seen how it worked, went back to Kentucky and take us from there.
Nancy Tate:Yeah, and the thing is is that people you know to, to to put these boxes, to install these boxes, you know, first of all you have to cut a hoe into a multimillion dollar building.
Monica Kelsey:I would spend the mayor too on those things.
Nancy Tate:And so people are like, oh, nancy, you know, because it's so hard to fundraise, it truly is. I help other groups fundraise, you know, we, as a matter of fact, we had a fundraising event last night, so we see how hard it is to fundraise. And people are like, how are we ever going to raise the money for this? And I'm like, trust me, this will be the easiest fundraising opportunity you've ever been involved in. Trust me, just trust me, let's roll with it. Let me show you how we I've seen this done, let's do it. And it's just amazing, the people, the community to support that. I've seen in every single place that we've had the opportunity to put a box. Yeah, just just you know, even if it's like $10 at a time, it gives everybody the opportunity to participate.
Monica Kelsey:Well, and so let's talk about that too, because no tax dollars go into these boxes, no tax dollars, and we made that clear from the beginning. We didn't want the state's money, yep.
Nancy Tate:And that's absolutely. I do not want anything from the state, just the permission to do this Please give me the permission to do this.
Monica Kelsey:Yep, that's exactly right, and so you took it to the House, you took it to the Senate, so tell us about that.
Nancy Tate:Yeah, so that was exciting, you know, and it was House Bill 155.
Nancy Tate:House Bill 155. And we've got 120 counties here in Kentucky and my goal is to have 155 boxes, one in every county and then more in the larger counties. Yeah, absolutely, because I think right now we've got like nine in Jefferson County, right In the local area. Yeah, but so that's what I did. I started talking about this and and and it's. It's so hard to lobby for a bill, especially when it's new. Yeah, it's a new concept, new to the state. It's so hard to lobby for that. And so, just one person at a time, I just went and I started talking to them and then we got absolutely no-no votes in the House and then no-no votes in the Senate. And we've had two iterations to improve the language, to allow into EMS centers, for example, and so we've had no-no votes for all three of the bills that we've passed here in Kentucky, for safe haven, baby boxes, that is. That is, it's virtually impossible.
Monica Kelsey:It is. It is impossible. Has it ever been done in Kentucky before? Where there's where both sides keep. Well, I mean in the last 20 years, I mean probably before that there was that's exactly right, it's very, very, very unique.
Nancy Tate:I'll just put it that way. Yeah, and so it's just. It's one of those things that, regardless of things and I don't hide my position on that, although I don't advocate for it with safe haven baby boxes.
Monica Kelsey:And one of the things that we talked about from the beginning was we can't make this a pro-life bill. That's right, because it's not. It's not a pro-life bill and when people bring the pro-life side of things into it, it kind of turns off the other side.
Monica Kelsey:It does, and these women are women that we're still trying to help, and so I love the fact that you take that position where, yeah, you're pro-life, but you're not throwing that into the Baby Docs Foundation, because there have been hundreds of women that we have walked with, and some of them don't have the same political views as we do, and we still love them, we still care for them, we still walk with them and, and it's just, it just shows your heart, you know, it just shows your heart. That doesn't matter what side you're on.
Nancy Tate:That's right. Well, you know, I've shared with you. You know, my mom was 17 when she got married and had her first baby, and my daughter, as a matter of fact, was pregnant when she was 16. And she had her first baby when she was 17. And now, with her blended family, she's had four children. With her blended family she's got five, and, as far as I'm concerned, she's probably one of those people that could easily have 10 children, is she?
Monica Kelsey:Catholic. She is Well, there you go.
Nancy Tate:But she's a modern-day Catholic but she just loves babies and it's just so much fun. But my point with that was is that, with her coming in when she was 16 and telling me that she was pregnant, the very first thing I told her was oh gosh, dang it, lacey, I just got rid of my baby bed you know that I've had for 35 years Exactly that I've had forever.
Nancy Tate:I just got rid of it, you know. And so here you're coming in telling me that you're pregnant and we'll figure this out. We'll absolutely figure this out. And so that's what I think that you know, with my experience in life and my career, that that was one of my jobs was to figure things out. And so life's just not perfect. It's never, ever perfect. No, it's not, it's not perfect. And you know, I figured out that. You know I can still have a family, I can be married and have a family and have a wonderful career and then move on to the General Assembly. And you can, you could have it all. You just have to do it in different stages. Life is a season, it's truly a season, and I think that's what I've been able to bring to. Regardless of the political affiliation, regardless of the pro-life, pro-choice, I can bring that to the table and say we'll figure this out.
Nancy Tate:Well, and we can all be friends.
Monica Kelsey:We can all be friends, Both sides of the table can be friends and we can always learn from the other side. That's right. You know, I've actually and not to kind of go back onto the technology and stuff with these boxes, but you know, the other side, the haters, is actually how I made this box so efficient, like so advanced, was because of their criticisms you know, and so listening to them actually helped us quite a bit, and I've always said that I've said I get some of my best ideas from my worst critics.
Nancy Tate:Yeah, absolutely. Just listen to the noise, listen to the conversation, listen to what people's concerns are and I'm like, oh my goodness, I didn't think about that.
Monica Kelsey:Yeah, in like 2015 it was before we launched the first box and one of the critics actually said somebody's gonna come by and steal this baby and I'm like I didn't think of that Exactly.
Nancy Tate:you're right, that's a possibility.
Monica Kelsey:That's a possibility, so let's make sure the door locks when the baby's placed inside, and so now, before it even launches, that's right. So that, yeah. So we've learned quite a bit from our critics, but I think, at the end of the day, um, their intentions are way different than what ours are. Uh, they're out to you know, shut us down. We're out to learn you know, to educate, and that's what we do all over America.
Nancy Tate:I think, one of the best things too. Whenever I was talking to you, you told me that the very first prototype you designed on a napkin coming back from Africa I did, and that you know that resonated with me, because I can't tell you how many things I've actually designed and developed with my teams on a napkin over coffee. You know, sitting in the break room going brainstorming what are we going to do? What are we going to do? And it's like, okay, let's get, we get our napkins out and start designing.
Nancy Tate:Absolutely. And then you've got, like you know what, six or seven different prototypes since then, and that's just oh, gosh yeah. Yeah, absolutely, and that just grabbed the engineer part of me and just I just love that idea.
Monica Kelsey:Well, and let me just tell you, the very first prototype had no electronics in it. Okay, it was a box. It was literally a box, right.
Nancy Tate:It was literally a box, but that's truly what you saw. Oh yeah, absolutely. And you know, if we go back in history, this is the box that you saw in Africa wasn't the first box. They were actually boxes back in history where babies had, you know, women had the opportunity to surrender their baby in boxes. Well, you know, they called them fondling wheels back in the day. That's right, right, exactly. Isn't that wild? It is. Right Because there's the possibility that so many women might need to use those.
Monica Kelsey:Well, and it's like, why did we take those out? Those were used to be in churches and they would place their baby inside and then it would kind of swing around and then a nun on the other side would either, you know, put the little girls with the girls and the boys with the boys and the orphanages, yeah, and it stopped like years ago and I think I think that's really when we really seen the uptick in the problem across America with abandonment after abandonment, after abandonment. And you know not to go back to the pro-life or pro-choice things, but you know, new Mexico we just had another baby in our Hobbs New Mexico baby box and Hobbs New Mexico has had multiple abandonments in their city. You know there's one on um television you can go to YouTube right now and just pull it up but there's this lady that actually throws her baby after birth in a dumpster and it's caught on camera, on on one of the security cameras of a building and it was released to the public and, and so this is on one of the security cameras of a building and it was released to the public, and so this is probably one of the most open pro-abortion states in America where you can have an abortion up until the day of delivery.
Monica Kelsey:However, how many babies have been saved since we put these boxes in? And it's like it's not a pro-life or a pro-choice thing. These babies, you know these mothers, have already chosen life for their child. That's right. You know they have, and we talked to so many of these moms and they love these babies. They're just in a moment of crisis that you and I will never understand. But for these, for for Hobbs, new Mexico to take it from an abandonment in a dumpster where this baby was in there for six hours. To now, babies in the Hobbs New Mexico baby boxers been three and they'd been pulled in less than two minutes every time. Less than two minutes, it's like, versus six out. Why would anybody?
Nancy Tate:be against this. That's exactly right, and the thing is is that it's not an option for everybody.
Monica Kelsey:No.
Nancy Tate:You know all the different things from a legislator's perspective that I look at. There's options that we provide every day that I would never do for myself, but this is just another tool that's in the toolkit for these ladies that are in a different situation, as you said, with life difficulties that you know. Thank God I was never exposed to.
Monica Kelsey:Well, and you know, last night at the event I was at the event last night with you and they were talking about the culture. That's right, the culture has not changed. Well, it's changed, but it's a different culture. But what we're doing is we're kind of passing laws but not thinking about the culture. And we have to advance with culture. And that's one of the things with baby boxes is the anonymity. You know, 25 years ago there wasn't cell phones where everybody was taking photos, there wasn't any cameras you know, and stuff like that.
Monica Kelsey:And so now that's all out there and we have to advance with that. And these kids are doing everything behind a screen. They don't want to talk to people.
Monica Kelsey:They don't want to walk up to you and talk to you. That's why we're texting, that's why we're behind keyboards telling people off, and so advancing the safe haven law to allow this anonymous option is just an advancement with the culture. That's right. And so I think as a society, we have to advance with the culture in order honestly to keep up culture, in order to honestly to keep up Absolutely. And now we're seeing success in, you know, the states that we're in where now babies are showing up in our boxes and not in dumpsters and trash cans, and that's because we've advanced with the culture. That's exactly right. We've allowed them the anonymity. Now you can still walk in and hand your child to a person. We've not taken that away in any state, nor would we take that away, um, but for some women it's very important to to have that anonymity piece.
Monica Kelsey:You know, I got to interview I I did a podcast in another state. I traveled with my husband in our motor home to another state to meet a birth mom who used our box and, uh, I had her on my podcast. It's not played yet, but I can't wait for people to hear her heart yeah, you know, for her, for people to understand that it's not always the families that are low income, it's not always the families that are from the bad neighborhoods, it's not always the families that don't have a good family behind them. And she just lays it out for her story and I think we all can can kind of wrap our heads around the fact that she, she did what she had to do, what she felt was best for her and her child, and I can't wait for people to hear this because it's just I think it's going to to bring a new perspective to these moms that have not been heard before. That's right.
Nancy Tate:And I shared the story of the baby in Bowling Green that was actually surrendered or abandoned at the church. Yes, and so, as fate would have it, you know, the very first baby that was surrendered and saved in Kentucky was in Bowling Green. And isn't that just the way it's supposed to be? And you know, we already knew that we were on the right side. Yeah, you know, we just knew we were on the right side. And then we get to go down there. Yeah, you know, if there's a good, you know, we just knew we were on the right side. And then we get to go down there. And you know, you gave me the opportunity to meet that baby. I did. You know, the parents said agreed to that, the adopted parents agreed to that, and I got to meet that baby.
Monica Kelsey:And it's just like the joy that everybody the people team and it was just so exciting to be able to, to, to, to, to love on that baby and I just love that opportunity.
Nancy Tate:Best part of the job. Best part of the job.
Monica Kelsey:Well, and it's like you get to see their families too. It's like and in sharing these stories. This is some I wish every adoptive family would allow us to tell their story. I understand why they don't.
Nancy Tate:I'm not. I'm not criticizing them in any way.
Monica Kelsey:But for these moms who we deal with on the other side of the box, they're watching everything, and so when they get to see their baby with the parents that they have been praying for, it brings them just a little bit of peace.
Nancy Tate:And I love the way you handle that, monica. You know you thank you, absolutely thank the parents that made that decision to surrender their baby to save that baby's life, and you thank them for doing that, because it could not be an easy decision. It can't be easy but for them to you know the people in the fire station to really sincerely thank them and that's just the grace that I know that they need at that time they absolutely need.
Monica Kelsey:And the mother that I interviewed, which you'll hear this when it comes out but she actually said that the video that I posted on TikTok about her surrender she plays it constantly and I said, well, what does it say? And she just started telling me what I said and how resilient she was, how proud of her.
Monica Kelsey:I was Absolutely, and it's like she had never heard that, and for her and for her, that meant everything. And, uh, I can't wait. She's that she's actually becoming part of our team, yeah, and I, I am like so ecstatic because she can. She can hold the one job that none of us can and that is holding a birth mother's um, uh, support group. You know what I mean? We don't have that for surrendered moms. We have that for adoption. We don't have that for surrendered moms. No safe haven organization in this country has a support group for these moms and she is starting it for us.
Monica Kelsey:That's a wonderful and I can't wait to see what Christ does with her, because she is a God loving woman. She's just amazing. She is resilient, she is, she's a powerhouse, um, and I know she's going to be watching this and I, I, she knows how proud I am of her for for stepping up and being a voice for these moms, because that's what she's become Right. She is their voice. Now I always say I was their voice. I'm not their voice anymore. It's like I'm I'm handing, handing that over to to somebody that's been there, that can take the reins now, that can do the work of talking for these moms. And she's been there. You can't ask for anything better than that.
Nancy Tate:That's exactly right, you know yeah, yeah, just the feeling that she had, you know, as she was carrying that baby, and then when she surrendered the baby, and then when, the joy that she experienced whenever she knew that that baby was going to a great home.
Monica Kelsey:Oh, she even actually talks about that and she in the interview calls the adoptive parents her parents. She talks about her little girl and how those are her parents. She's not her parents. She's like I just had a small piece of this and I'm like you had a huge piece of this, but she looks at it as a gift to this family that could never have children and she says I prayed that she would get a family like this and she did.
Nancy Tate:Yeah, and that's wonderful, because we hear so many people that are opposed to foster care and adoptive care. We hear so many that are opposed because what they do is they take the little sliver of bad news and then they want to take that 10% and apply it to everything. So what we need to do, what people like me need to do, is work on that 10%, continue to work on that 10% and make sure that that 10% doesn't happen, and we can do that. We'll continue to work on that. We'll continue to address the problems that we have here in Kentucky with foster care and adoptive care, because we do have problems and as long as we deal with people, with mankind, we're gonna have those. But we'll do as many things as we possibly can to make sure that those babies and those children are treated with love and kindness.
Monica Kelsey:Well, you know, I love this argument that we get all the time about foster care and I am a huge critic of the foster care system.
Nancy Tate:Absolutely. Me too. I have not been silent about this. You have not at all. I appreciate that.
Monica Kelsey:But the 10% that you're talking about, how they say that these kids are abused in foster care, these kids are getting adopted and they're being exploited or they're being trafficked or they're being assayed and all this other crazy stuff, and I'm like 10% of that? Okay, maybe five, maybe two, I don't know the percentage of that but what's the percentage of biological parents doing the same thing? Let's look at that, because, yes, there's bad people out there that might be adopting, but do you see the news? I mean, do you see these, these birth parents that are killing their children that are three months, six months, a year? It's like there are going to be crappy parents on both sides of this. We just have to make sure that we're doing it, um, the the most professional way, the most, um, uh, what's the word I'm looking for?
Nancy Tate:Uh, background checks you know stuff like that to make sure that that doesn't happen.
Monica Kelsey:But there are going to be things that fall through the cracks and unfortunately we're not immune to that. That's right, we can try. We can try to do better every time something like that comes up, which is what we do in history. Anyway, when something comes up, we try to make it better, absolutely.
Nancy Tate:We try to avoid it, try to prevent it, preventative maintenance all the time. But you know, some of my best friends have adopted three and four children. Isn't that amazing? Absolutely. And then you know they're like, okay, this whole family needs to be adopted, come live with us. Yeah, and it's just amazing. And I see that the struggles they have, because that promote, that, provides financial struggles that they've never had before and and really, truly, as a parent, I you know, when I had three teenagers, I was like, oh my gosh, I was not, I'm not prepared for this. And my husband was like, nancy, nobody's prepared for three teenagers, so we're just going to make it through this.
Nancy Tate:We're going to do a day to day, day at a time. That's exactly right, right. And then you know, thank God every day that you know we make it through to the end, but you know it's just.
Monica Kelsey:It be great if they came with an owner's manual.
Nancy Tate:So that my daughter, you know, had her first baby when she was 17. I actually found an owner's manual and I still had. She gave it back to me when she was like okay you know I don't have time to read this mom, so I have it on my bedside stand right now.
Nancy Tate:And it says the owner's manual. That's exactly right. But that's a good point, because when my mom um she had her children, then whenever I waited until I was 30, 28 and 30 to have my children, so we she never used um pampers, she didn't use a formula, you know, she didn't know, so she didn't know how I was like mom, how do I do this?
Monica Kelsey:and she was was like I don't know, let's read the instructions, so you know there's, even if you had an owner's manual.
Nancy Tate:Time goes, things change. As you said, modern day culture and modern day devices and modern day technology.
Monica Kelsey:Right and so yeah.
Nancy Tate:So anyway, even if you had an owner's manual, it would still change. But the things are, you know, the babies are still the same. You know, as a matter of fact, last week I went to a meeting and so they were where I was at. They actually had a couple dogs there because of the situation that was, you know, it was okay to have service dogs. So the service dogs ran up to me and they actually started licking my pants and my around my knees and one of the ladies said oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, reptate that that happened. Did they mess up your pants? And I go, actually, as a matter of fact, that was my grandbaby that spit up on my pants before I came in here and I didn't have time to change.
Nancy Tate:But you know what that's, that's life right, that's right, that's brawl and real, that's just, that's just life. And I was just like I'm out If I need to. I'll just cover it up when I sit, you know Well and you know, that kind of brings up a good point.
Monica Kelsey:It's so funny. So this morning I was getting ready and I forgot my eyebrow pencil and it's like you just take something and you're like okay, well, it looks like I'm going to have eyeliner for eyebrows today.
Nancy Tate:That's exactly right, you just deal with it.
Monica Kelsey:You just keep going. But it's raw and it's a robin, it's a real, that's exactly right. It's just kind of.
Nancy Tate:Yeah, you just kind of just keep on moving.
Monica Kelsey:Rolling.
Nancy Tate:Rolling, just keep rolling, absolutely. We'll figure this out, we'll figure this out.
Monica Kelsey:We'll figure it out. We'll figure it out. Yeah Well, what is your hope for the state of Kentucky? Yeah, what is your goal? I mean, how long are?
Nancy Tate:Yeah. So I'm so honored that my constituents obviously gave me the opportunity to do this, and I'm the pro-life caucus chair for Kentucky. And again, it's not just you know, abortion, anti-abortion. We've done some of the amazing things for moms here in Kentucky. Last year we had the Momnibus Bill, which was a huge bill, but what we did was we made more resources available for women here in Kentucky. It was to ensure that while they were pregnant, they had the services that they need if it means financial and up to a year, that they had the services that they need, and then we'll continue to reevaluate that A year after babies are born After the babies are born.
Monica Kelsey:That's awesome.
Nancy Tate:Absolutely. We made birthing centers available here in Kentucky, you know, and our hospital association. It's just different, and while I would never have the opportunity to choose a birthing center because my pregnancies were high risk for the women, that that's an option, for let's give them the option. And so I'm just so honored to have the opportunity to represent women and their families here in Kentucky and to move Kentucky forward. We've always been a family-oriented state, you have, we've always been a family-oriented state, and I'm just so honored to continue that legacy here in Kentucky and to continue supporting families, as I said, and those in the women with the crisis that they're in. So how long are you going to?
Monica Kelsey:stay in the legislature if they'll have you.
Nancy Tate:I don't know, 40 years. I mean, is there a?
Monica Kelsey:term limit for it? No, there's not. There's not a term limit. Oh, you could just retire, and then you know at your 90th birthday, or something like that.
Nancy Tate:Yeah, you know, the thing is, though it I was first elected in Kentucky, there was the older generation that were in there. A lot of the positions and seats were filled with older people, and so it was really we, just those that were new. We just really had to grind, I mean, we just had to get in there and just hit the ground running. And it's really interesting because I'm in my seventh year now and the younger people that are coming in. You know, I have been on six committees, I mean, I'm talking working committees too, and that was because somebody needed to fill that gap, and I was so honored to do that, to just devote my life to moving Kentucky forward. But now I see the next generation coming in and I'm just like, oh, this is really kind of cool, this is nice. These people are hitting the ground running and all they really need is some guidance. And you know, so that gives me the opportunity to say, okay, here's what we've tried, but here were the obstacles. Now what we have to do is overcome those obstacles, and now what you want to do, we can accomplish. But so I'm just real excited to be able to do that and to help mentor the next generation. So how long will I do this? You know I really want to get out there and retire someday.
Nancy Tate:You know, every day, every when I'm in session, you know sometimes on my screen, on my phone, my iPhone and my iPads, and is like the beach and I'll just sit there and go. I could be at the beach right now. I could be somewhere else, but you know, after a couple of days at the beach, I'm like you, I'm probably going to be. I've got my list again and I'm adding to my list of things that I've got accomplished. And yeah, even whenever we left the legislative session this year, the very first conversation I had with my husband was like okay, here's what I've accomplished. The very first conversation was and here's the next three things that I have to do. And I know he's thinking, oh dear Lord, will you ever stop?
Monica Kelsey:And the answer is probably no, your husband sounds a lot like my husband.
Nancy Tate:That's right. You know we go on vacation and he's like can you put your?
Monica Kelsey:phone down and it's like what if we get a baby in our box? I need to know, like yesterday.
Nancy Tate:Yeah, but my dad retired three times, you know. He passed away when he was 83 and he retired when he was 81. Oh my, God yeah. And so I just I would make fun of him. I'm like Dad, are you ever going to retire Now, before he passed away? He's like Nancy, are you ever going to retire? Like no, probably not. I'm going to be like you, dad Sounds like it's a generational curse.
Monica Kelsey:Well it's a blessing.
Nancy Tate:He was in law enforcement for 55 years, wow, yeah. And so it's just absolutely. And I could just see how I remember he was a Kentucky State policeman and he had bring home like notebooks that said, you know, hey, commonwealth of Kentucky on it and the seal. And I can remember just looking at those when I was a kid and now I had the seal on my notebooks, yeah, and it is so exciting to just go, okay, dad.
Monica Kelsey:Yeah, that's right. Yeah, you got somebody looking down on you, absolutely.
Nancy Tate:Yeah, that's cool.
Nancy Tate:But I think one of the things though you know you've asked me what I think you know from a safe haven baby box perspective, like what can we do next here in Kentucky and you know I frequently go you know there's really not anything else that I think that we can do for safe haven baby boxes in Kentucky from a legislative perspective. But what we need to do is continue to make sure that we have 155 at least in Kentucky, and I'm really jealous because I know you guys in Indiana have over 100 right now and I'll never, you know. I think you know my goal is to exceed you all.
Monica Kelsey:Well, you are number two in the country though you guys are number two right behind Indiana.
Nancy Tate:So I've got to maintain that spot you do, and aggressively work toward getting that 155. And so, from a legislative perspective, I'm not really sure that we can do anything else to fine tune it, because you have to. We have to make sure that we don't compromise the integrity of what you have created.
Monica Kelsey:We do not sacrifice integrity for growth. That's exactly right.
Nancy Tate:I've always said that, and so I have people come to me and go Nancy, what would you do? And I'm like I know that would compromise the integrity of this initiative. And so let's think about that, let's protect the integrity of this initiative and if you come up with an idea that it will make it better, then by gosh, I'll be ready to do that. But I'm so excited and you have created the model, and that's wonderful, and you've been open to suggestions, you've been open to criticism and you are like a younger me and I really appreciate that and I just really.
Monica Kelsey:That's a compliment in itself.
Nancy Tate:Thank you. I just really look forward to where this initiative is and I always say you know. They used to say you know and do still say as California goes, the rest of the nation goes. I don't really think that. I think that as the Midwest goes, as Indiana and as Kentucky goes, that's how the rest of the nation will go and ultimately the world, and I'm just really excited about that.
Monica Kelsey:You know we actually have other countries contacting us and it's like we're just trying to get our own country fixed first and it's like this job has become so large for us. I mean, you know, three years ago we were working out of our den still, and then when we bought the building and started manufacturing the boxes in-house, it completely just opened up and an entire world we had no idea was there, and so we're becoming so busy, um, but we're so blessed, like last night I said I'm very humbled by all that we've been able to accomplish in just the last nine years.
Monica Kelsey:Um, but when Christ gives you a job, you know you, you, you can try to get off the bus, as I say I. I've always said we're riding in this bus and I'm not the driver. Um, you can try and get out, uh, but it's going to stop a few times, you might take some turns and it's going to be a very bumpy ride, but at the end of the day, you're in the safest car there is and you on a mission, and he's going to get you back in that car. You're going to get back in the car and you're going to continue to do what he has called you to do. And so I think back to actually, my entire life has been set up for this. It really really has, you know, from joining the United States military right out of high school to, you know, becoming a firefighter and a medic. Now I'm in fire stations every week and it just, it just kind of makes it real for me that, that this has been what has been planned for me my entire life, absolutely. It's very humbling, right.
Nancy Tate:And I can say the same thing for myself. You know something, you know, just with the fact that I started with my mission in 25, when I was, and my mom, you know the passion that she had and you know my mom was just such a you know, she's small in stature, like I am, you know we're tiny people, but she was just so passionate and when my mom saw something she would just, you know, go at it and I'm sure that you know looking down from and I'm sure that you know looking down from heaven, I'm sure she's just like all right, you know, I helped mold you, I helped give you the opportunity. My mom and dad were both really, really strong people, you know. And just for you know, and then my career and then just my public speaking opportunities made me better at public speaking, made me better expressing myself, made me better at not being afraid to express what's in my heart and not be afraid to ask for help.
Nancy Tate:You know I remember some of my employees saying you know, nancy, you can ask for help. You know now, sometimes I'll tell other people, you know it wouldn't hurt if you would ask for help, and so. But when people ask for help, you know, just like with Safe Haven Baby Box, you couldn't be across as many states and have over 300 boxes if it wasn't for help.
Nancy Tate:If it wasn't for the boots on the ground, raising money, you know, promoting the idea. And so you've been very humble. You have said I've got a great idea. Now come help me, come help me, Help me with this idea. There's a huge team behind this, absolutely, and so that's wonderful. When you have humbled yourself, you said I need help, come help me. And when people say, hey, you know, tell me the good, the bad and ugly and everything that I need, you're like, okay, here's what I can tell you, and that's wonderful. I really appreciate you doing that.
Monica Kelsey:Well, I appreciate you, Representative Tate, for everything that you've accomplished, everything that you've done for the moms and the babies of the state of Kentucky. And I'm sure this is not the end of your journey with the state of Kentucky. I can't wait to see.
Nancy Tate:Absolutely, and you know just to your point. You know, sometimes, I think you know, gosh, what else can we do for moms and women other than just, you know, and babies and their families, other than just give them money? You know what else can we do. And then these just godsend moments happen safe haven, baby boxes and this, you know, people that come to us and go Rep Tate, can you consider doing this? And I'll be like, oh, I think this is a good thing, yeah, so just things. Whenever I exhaust all of my good ideas, somebody else comes forth with a good idea and says, you know, can you? You know, can you consider this? And I'm like, yeah, and let's make this the best that we can possibly make this the first go around and then, if you know, we learn along the way, then we'll we'll adjust.
Monica Kelsey:Well, and you know, it kind of brings back me, brings me back to, uh, the post that I did, probably. I don't know, three or four weeks ago maybe I was just having a crappy day. I was just I had had it. I was at the end of my rope and I was bitching at my husband like uh, and he was being very gracious.
Nancy Tate:He really was. He is the calm to my storm. Every single time it's always my husband and you know, I posted that.
Monica Kelsey:I posted me being raw and real and me just being who I am some days, and I got a lot of a lot of feedback on it. But then the next day we got a baby in our box. It was almost like Christ just reiterating the fact that, yeah, you're going to have these days. You're going to have to continue to fight. I've called you to do this and now get up. You're done. You're done moping right now Get up and continue to do this work. Sorry for yourself, let's go.
Nancy Tate:We still need you in this battle for life. Absolutely, get up. Yeah, absolutely. And I think, monica, one of the things that I really criticize myself for is that we've accomplished so much in life, you know, here in the United States, here in Kentucky, here with our initiatives, and we don't celebrate. We never celebrate, and the reason why is because you and I always move on to the next project, the next project, and so that was one of the things throughout my legislative career, and even, you know, when I've worked, you know, in the private sector, I didn't want to celebrate because I always saw the next thing. And after this legislative session, I said you know what, guys? We're going to celebrate? We're going to stop and we're going to celebrate because this, we've got to recognize the godsend moments, we've got to recognize the people that have helped us get here and that we've got to recognize each other. And I'm not a big pat myself on the back, but other people need to be patted on the back and thanked for this opportunity. I agree, yeah absolutely.
Nancy Tate:So I appreciate you getting the award last night.
Monica Kelsey:That was beautiful.
Nancy Tate:Absolutely. And yeah, because you do need to be thanked for what you're doing, and then you, in turn, thank other people and that's just. That's just the just just. A great leader. It's a demonstration of a great leader, so I appreciate that.
Monica Kelsey:Well, thank you, I really appreciate it. I really appreciate it. Getting that award last night, it's very humbling. As I said last night, it's very humbling because I'm just out there doing what I was called to do.
Nancy Tate:That's right. And then there were a lot of us sitting out there just in the audience. We just all we want to do is be able to clap for you, and that's wonderful. I appreciate that Absolutely, yep.
Monica Kelsey:Well, thank you for coming on my podcast. Hopefully you'll come back. Maybe next time you can come up to the studio. That would be wonderful On the road. That's right. But this is Monica Kelsey, from Beyond the Box, with Representative Nancy Tate, the champion in the state of Kentucky for the legislator with the baby boxes in this state, just taking names and moving these things along to make sure that moms and babies have resources here in the state of Kentucky. So God bless you guys. We'll see you guys next time. Thank you again, thank you.