If parental rights of parents who abuse their children were terminated earlier, fewer children would be harmed. Three Strikes of abuse and parental rights should be terminated. Immediately. The child should then put up for permanent adoption. Give children a break to have a break from an unhealthy, abusive past. Currently the law allows parents who repeatedly abuse to still keep their parental rights.
What Three Strikes? Strike #1: Use of dangerous to drugs dangerous to fetus. All children born addicted are a strike against the mother and probably the father as well. I see heaps of cases where mothers have had several children all of them born addicted to heroin, cocaine, meth or a combination of drugs.
Strike #2: Neglect and physical and/or emotional abuse. Let CPA decide what constitutes abuse and neglect. Being spaced out on drugs and ignoring the child day after day is neglect. Hitting children that leaves marks is abuse. Not feeding or diapering children so they have horrible rashes is abuse.
Here is a real case why parental rights should be terminated early: The child, Erica, (not real name) was taken care of by her grandmother for the first few years. Left on a rug, fed but not much interaction with the elderly woman. Mother, who had been in prison re-appears and takes the child from age 4 to age 8. The mother’s boyfriend on one occasion chokes the child in public fast food restaurants. Both use and abuse various illegal and legal drugs. Child is taken away from them by CPS.
Erica, now age 8, was placed in foster care. A licensed psychologist assessed her and recommended that she be adopted by a two parent family with extended family and good structure. Take her to a church or place of worship. Enroll her in group sports.
That never happened. Erica is now age 18. She has been in a number of foster placements for over ten years. She takes medications for psychotic symptoms, ADHD and depression. She fixates on returning to live with her mother. Her mother has been in prison most of the last 10 years and is currently in prison
What skills does Erica have? She almost passed the Exit exam for CA in Reading. Her score was just a couple points too low to pass. Her life skills are quite Deficient.
Erica will have to cared for by taxpayers probably for the rest of her life. Her life would have had promise had she been adopted many years ago.
Maybe Three Strikes is too generous Abused in the womb and born addicted to drugs has such serious concequences. Had Erica been given a fresh start while very young she probably would be a productive young citizen capable of providing for herself and contributing to society.
Who is respeonsible for the harm to Erica? Her biological parents and relatives for sure. Also the social service system that moved her from one placement to another. And the legal system that bends over backwared to put children back with their bad parents. The law must be changed in California.
Your comments? written by Cameron Jackson cameronjacks@gmail.com
