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Wednesday, July 20, 2005

DCF Kidnaps Newborn For "Prospective Neglect''

As a mother, I am appalled at the the behavior of the Florida Department of Children & Families. You can read the beginning, middle, and current parts of the story for yourself. In a nutshell, Parita Patel, a young, married landowner from rural India, came to the U.S. to visit friends. She found out she was pregnant while visiting America and was later hit by a car. Doctors told her not to fly back to India so she came to Florida to spend the rest of her pregnancy with her husband's friends. She gave birth early due to injuries from the accident and the Florida DCF took her child away because of "prospective neglect."

That's right, she might, in the future, neglect her child so let's not give her the chance. I've heard this tale before - in the Sci-Fi movie Minority Report. Thankfully, mother and daughter have been reunited due to a helpful hospital nurse and a supportive, local Indian community but the philosophy of our DCF remains clear: children can be taken if DCF thinks there is a possibility of neglect. I wonder which innocent mother will be the next to sob for her taken child and how long will it be before another parent is left with nothing but a photograph.

5 Comments:

Blogger Jes said...

Is it just me or is the DCF in the news a lot? I hear about stupid outrageous things they are doing every day. Their credibility must be in the toilet.

8:00 AM  
Blogger Headmistress, zookeeper said...

Well, now my blood pressure is pumping nicely!
I note that in the 'current' link you provide, the DHS 'took issue' with this mother sleeping with her baby! Who do these idiots think they are?! Sleeping with your baby is the _norm_ around the world. How dare they impose their uptight version of 'correct' parenting on a mother and baby!

As for removing children for 'prospective' neglect- yes, they've done this before. It's probably been at least fifteen years since I watched a 20/20 type program about how the DHS does this to disabled parents. One mother had C.P. and couldn't change diapers fast enough for them, so she lost her baby.

And I am appalled that a worker at Ronald MacDonald house turned this woman in- and for what? the baby was still in the NICU, so the worker had never seen the woman with her baby. And now it sounds as though it is going to cause marital problems, since her husband cannot fathom a country where kidnapping is legal.

9:40 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I"m just going to ditto what Headmistress has already said. This is completely outrageous!

11:46 AM  
Blogger weniki said...

Our whole social service system is such a mess. When I worked in Chicago, children who should have been removed from the home were not, and later died of abuse when they could have been protected. I think agents sometimes don't know how to make the best assessment as to who is really in danger. Anyway, stumbled upon your blog and I think it's great!

2:29 PM  
Blogger Mwalimu Daudi said...

Not surprising - the government thinks it knows best no matter what.

7:28 PM  

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