PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The Portland Police Bureau has asked the public to help it find the mother of a baby girl abandoned outside a Portland nursing home Jan. 7.

The bureau said the baby, who was wrapped in a wet towel when a cook at the nursing home found her on the doorstep, has medical problems that might be better treated if doctors had more information about the medical history of the parents.

To prevent unwanted newborns from being abandoned or killed, Oregon passed the "Safe Place for Newborns" law in 2001. The law allows a parent to leave an infant that is 30 days old or younger with an employee of a medical facility or law-enforcement agency - no questions asked unless there are signs of abuse.

Police have said it's not clear whether the doorstep outside a nursing home qualifies as a safe place under the law.

Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for tips leading to the mother.

The baby is currently in foster care.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)