Judge upset at DCF over pregnant girl's care

[Judi Lynn]

Published Friday, April 29, 2005

Judge upset at DCF over pregnant girl's care

The Associated Press
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.
A judge who blocked a scheduled abortion for a 13-year-old chronic runaway is outraged that the state hasn't done more to protect her during at least four years in foster care.

"To say I am angry is an understatement," Juvenile Judge Ronald Alvarez said Thursday after learning the state Department of Children & Families had not notified the court that the girl had disappeared from a shelter so police could look for her.
(snip)

The case pits civil liberties groups against Gov. Jeb Bush and conservative groups only weeks after the end of their polarizing fight over Terri Schiavo, a brain-damaged woman who died after her husband obtained a court order to remove her feeding tube.

L.G. has been in foster care since she was taken from her parents for abuse or neglect, the newspaper reported. DCF attorney Jeffrey Gillen told the judge that the state has been unable to find adoptive parents for her.
(snip/...)

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050429/APN/504290578

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Earlier Wednesday D.U. thread when the story first came out:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1428745

[AndyTiedye]

1. No Parents, No Abortion, No Matter How Badly She Might Need One

She is fair game for the forced parenthood movement.

[Birthmark]

2. Florida's DCF

Is evil, corrupt, and inept. Nothing they do surprises me. I personally have seen DCF agents lie under oath. The whole family court system in FL is incredible. I encourage everyone to spend a day just watching family court. The Constitution doesn't exist in these courts; in FL anyway.

Sorry, I know that this post isn't exactly germane, but it had to be said.

[MontageOfFreedom]

3. Jeb Bush has made this state a rotting jail....

And I mean that quite literally. Its time for the criminal in charge to be forced out and resign after the pot boils over.....

[Solly Mack]

4. I'm angry at the Judge as well. It's not like he helped the child either..

the longer she has to wait the worse it is for her.

I'm beyond angry about the entire thing.

[roscoeroscoe]

5. exactly.

judge, (not having read too much about this) may well feel trapped in dealing with this. angry at being stuck with this one. judges, if i understand correctly, regard being stuck on family court as the bottom of the barrel.
i'm sure the national attention has made the case a complete headache, a no-win situation.
and the girl's run off? how dare she whilst the forces to be arrange for her to become an unwilling symbol?

[Hekate]

6. Age 13: a high risk pregnancy by definition

She is still a growing child herself, and the pregnancy puts her life and health at risk.

Theocrats of the Everglades: Beyond stupid. Beyond heartless. Beyond shame.


Hekate

[Doremus]

7. Pregnant at 13? Isn't that a red flag to the possibility of abuse? n/t

[salin]

8. But privatized services are so much better than public services

so said Jebbie. Hasn't the foster care system and much of DCF services been greatly privatized in the last two or three years?

[hector459]

9. Yes, same with a lot of Federal social programs.

This administration gets you going and coming1

[Bridget Burke]

10. Child welfare is now COMPLETELY privatized in Florida.

Miami -- Florida has become the first state in the nation to fully privatize its child welfare programs, after signing a $75 million contract to hand over those responsibilities in its last two counties.
The deal Friday with Our Kids Inc. gives the group the right to handle all foster care, adoption and child welfare licensing operations in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, where about 5,000 children are now under state care.

The effort has been a cornerstone of Gov. Jeb Bush's plan to improve the state's troubled child protection system.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050417/NEWS06/504170477/1012/NEWS06&template=printart

The Texas Legislature's recent stand against gay adoption or foster care made the news--as it should have. But that was only one aspect of the NEW totally privatized child welfare system we're getting here in the Lone Star State.

[Rose Siding]

11. "State law allows girls to have abortions without notifying anyone."

but "DCF has cited a state law prohibiting the department from consenting to an abortion for a minor in state care."

This implies that children in state care have less/different rights than the general public.

What a nightmare. We KNOW how legal battles in FL can drag on. :(