Infant is returned to blind couple after state places her in protective custody

[proud2BlibKansan]

Infant is returned to blind couple after state places her in protective custody


Erika Johnson will never be able to see her baby, Mikaela.

But for 57 days she couldn’t keep her newborn close, smell her baby’s breath, feel her downy hair.

The state took away her 2-day-old infant into protective custody — because Johnson and Mikaela’s father are both blind.

No allegations of abuse, just a fear that the new parents would be unable to care for the child.

On Tuesday, Johnson still couldn’t stop crying, although Mikaela was back in her arms.

“We never got the chance to be parents,” she said. “We had to prove that we could.”

Tuesday, she and Blake Sinnett knew their baby was finally coming home to their Independence apartment, but an adjudication hearing was scheduled for the afternoon on whether the state would stay involved in the rearing of the baby. Then from a morning phone call to their attorney, they learned that the state was dismissing their case.

More ...http://www.kansascity.com/2010/07/20/2097290_infant-is-returned-to-blind-couple.html?storylink=omni_popular

[rocktivity]

1. If they need help, GIVE IT TO THEM, don't take the baby away.

We have a HUGE unemployment problem--I'm sure there's someone out there that's qualified to help.

:eyes:
rocktivity

[Odin2005]

2. The disabled are still treated like SHIT in this country!

[malaise]

10. This shit couldn't happen anywhere in Western Europe

WTF!!

[Odin2005]

11. It does happen over in the UK.

I've heard several stories of kids being taken from parents with Asperger's, there. Many Brits complain that their equivalent of CPS are a bunch of little Nazis.

[SunnySong]

3. This is all sorts of wrong... unless there are other circumstances there is no reason

a blind couple couldn't raise a child.

Talk about discriminatory and overreaching government

[liberalhistorian]

4. Well, gee whiz, golly gee, lucky me; since I'm

hearing impaired and wear hearing aids, I'm lucky some overzealous hospital and social services personnel didn't take it upon themselves to decide that I wouldn't have made a good parent when my son was born nineteen years ago, before there was ever even any evidence. And I was and am a damn good parent, too.

Damn, this pisses me off. You often can't get DCF to care or do anything about instances of REAL abuse and neglect, but they have no problem letting their biases get in the way and take away children with NO EVIDENCE of any abuse. The mother's statement "disability does not equal inability" is so very true.

[smokey nj]

5. This story makes me sick.

I feel so bad for this poor couple. I hope they can sue the hospital and the state for discrimination.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. Me too

All kinds of wrong here.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

6. As a mother I object

to the removal of this baby from her mum. To separate a bonding mother and baby is the worse shit you can do!

We had a totally blind cow for almost 20 years and she was an excellent mother.

[leftyladyfrommo]

7. I had a blind next door neighbor that was a stay at home dad.

Both of his kids survived. Both he and his wife were sight impaired - she could see a lot better than he could. He was the one that stayed home with the baby. She worked.

He did have a problem with his little girl. She was a real pill. She would go outside to play and would go anywhere she pleased - even though she was supposed to stay in the yard. Then when he would come out and call her to come in she would just run over to her yard and yell that she was coming. He couldn't tell that she wasn't where she was supposed to be. I could cheerfully have choked that kid - she was so onery. But I don't think that had anything to do with her parents being blind. She would have been a handful for sighted parents.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

9. There was an episode of The Defenders on TV 45 years ago

about the state taking away the child of a deaf couple. You'd think we'd have grown beyond that level in 45 years.

[Liberal_in_LA]

12. How horrible for them. Glad they are getting the baby back.

[TexasObserver]

13. CPS often misuses the resources it has.

Incompetence, corruption and bias are three big problems with CPS.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. It's also often hard to get help for kids who really do need it.