Author Topic: Woman abandons teen at hospital  (Read 1821 times)

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Offline Anne Bonney

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Woman abandons teen at hospital
« on: September 16, 2008, 10:27:23 AM »
Under the new 'safe haven' law.


http://www.journalstar.com/news/local/d ... 582861.txt

Lawmakers were afraid this would happen: Two older children were abandoned over the weekend under the state’s new safe haven law.

In Lincoln, a 15-year-old boy’s guardian dropped him off at BryanLGH Medical Center West Saturday evening, saying she couldn’t deal with the boy’s behavioral issues, Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady said.

He and an 11-year-old boy — taken to Immanuel Medical Center in Omaha over the weekend — are the first two to be abandoned under a Nebraska safe haven law that went into effect in July.

Neither was in any immediate danger when dropped off, said Todd Landry, director of the Children and Family Services Division of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Neither the guardian in Lincoln nor the parent in Omaha will be charged with a crime. Before the law went into effect, they could have been charged with child neglect or abandonment, both misdemeanors, or felony child abuse.

The Lincoln boy, a high school freshman, is staying in a Lincoln emergency shelter. The Omaha boy was admitted to the hospital for evaluation and observation, Landry said.

Both will be in 48-hour protective custody and the county attorneys in Lancaster and Douglas counties will make the determination if the boys will remain in custody, Landry said. The courts will decide what happens next.

Landry said that could include family reunification, alternate placement or a more permanent solution.

The Lincoln boy’s mother died in September 2003, and her sister assumed temporary custody of all five children in the family, including one half-sibling.

The four other youths have already become state wards.

A brother and two sisters now live in group homes. The half-sister became a ward after she broke the law.

The father has lived in Lincoln but has not had custody of the children. He is listed in the mother’s obituary as her life partner.

Casady said the boy’s aunt, when she brought him to BryanLGH, said she was having trouble supervising him because of all of his behavior problems.

Landry and the sponsor of the safe haven law, Sen. Arnie Stuthman of Platte Center, said what happened this weekend was not the intent of the law.

Stuthman said LB157 was initially intended for infants less than 72 hours old who were in danger of being harmed or abandoned in an unsafe place. That’s the way most other states’ safe haven bills are written.

But to get the bill passed, he said, he had to agree to expand the language to include all children.

“This is not intended to be used when a child is unruly or out of control,” he said. “People need to realize the effect on the child and what it will do to families.”

Other options could have been pursued, Landry said.

Jim Blue, president and CEO of Cedars Youth Services, said if a parent or guardian does not feel a child is safe in their own care, he or she can call the Cedars emergency hotline at 437-8888 and receive free temporary shelter for the child.

He was supportive of a safe haven law for younger children, even up to the age of 2, whose   young, unprepared parents cannot deal with parenting, he said.

But the emotional cuts and scars in an older child who is abandoned can be much deeper than those of an infant, he said. An adolescent’s social attachments, let alone family attachments, can be precarious, even in normal situations, he said.

“There are good organizations that can help with teens when situations become stressed,” he said.

Cedars is one of those, he said,  and has been providing shelter for more than 60 years.

Both Landry and Stuthman said they will watch closely what happens with the law in the next few months. If necessary, the Legislature could try to adjust the law, Stuthman said.

Reach JoAnne Young at 473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com.
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Offline TheWho

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Re: Woman abandons teen at hospital
« Reply #1 on: September 16, 2008, 11:24:58 AM »
Earlier post on the ruling:

Quote from: "TheWho"
Nebraska has figured out a way to undercut programs and save the parents a ton of money and financial/legal responsibility.

…. frustrated parents could drop off misbehaving teens or even severely disabled older children with impunity.
"Whether the kid is disabled or unruly or just being a hormonal teenager, the state is saying: 'Hey, we have a really easy option for you,"' said Adam Pertman, executive director of a New York adoption institute and a frequent critic of safe-haven laws.

Nebraska's approach is surprising because it is the last state in the nation to adopt a safe-haven law

…..lawmakers here wanted to extend the protection to all minors. And in Nebraska, that goes all the way up to age 19.


So you can just drop your teen off at any safe haven sight which are typically hospitals and just fax in or email the paperwork later.  They have it set up so you don’t have to use a vacation day or miss any work time.

http://http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,409262,00.html



...
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Offline psy

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Re: Woman abandons teen at hospital
« Reply #2 on: September 16, 2008, 11:34:50 AM »
If the parents are willing to abandon their kids like this, their kids probably deserve better than their parents.  Whether the state can provide that is another issue entirely...  My feeling is that it's a crapshoot depending mostly on the benevolence/malevolence of the foster parents, assuming that is who they end up with.  What do people think:  Is this better than or worse than sending the kid to a program?
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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"Our services are free; we do not make a profit. Parents of troubled teens ourselves, PURE strives to create a safe haven of truth and reality." - Sue Scheff - August 13th, 2007 (fukkin surreal)

Offline ThéWho

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Re: Woman abandons teen at hospital
« Reply #3 on: September 16, 2008, 12:18:58 PM »
I wish all states had laws like this. I spent a lot of money to have my daughter kept outside our house because she was a menace. If I could of just dropped her off at a hospital, I think it would of taught her independence. Programs are great in some respects, but the kid comes back all needy and wanting love and that's really gay. If her mother hadn't left me maybe things wouldn't me so screwy.

All states need laws like this!


...
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Offline psy

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Re: Woman abandons teen at hospital
« Reply #4 on: September 16, 2008, 12:26:40 PM »
Quote from: "ThéWho"
I wish all states had laws like this. I spent a lot of money to have my daughter kept outside our house because she was a menace. If I could of just dropped her off at a hospital, I think it would of taught her independence. Programs are great in some respects, but the kid comes back all needy and wanting love and that's really gay. If her mother hadn't left me maybe things wouldn't me so screwy.

All states need laws like this!


...
Well.  You are evidence kids are sometimes better off anywhere else than with their parents...  so in a way, I agree with you.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
Benchmark Young Adult School - bad place [archive.org link]
Sue Scheff Truth - Blog on Sue Scheff
"Our services are free; we do not make a profit. Parents of troubled teens ourselves, PURE strives to create a safe haven of truth and reality." - Sue Scheff - August 13th, 2007 (fukkin surreal)

Offline ThéWho

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Re: Woman abandons teen at hospital
« Reply #5 on: September 16, 2008, 12:29:58 PM »
Of course you agree with me because it makes sense. Right now the system is two tiered, only us rich parents can enjoy the comfort of knowing at any time we wish we can give up on parenting and pawn it off on another person. It's been very expensive though up to this point to do this! It is a very freeing feeling, especially when your kids grow up to be little brats and hooligans. Now the poor parents can enjoy this too.

...
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Woman abandons teen at hospital
« Reply #6 on: September 16, 2008, 12:38:48 PM »
Notice the little accent mark above the "e" on TheWho's new moniker?  Don't make things worse by actually DOING what he's accused us of.
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Woman abandons teen at hospital
« Reply #7 on: September 17, 2008, 02:57:35 AM »
They are beginning to do this in Denmark too.

Velstilledes unge fjernes fra hjemmet (Children from wellmannered homes are removed), by Marianne Harbo, Berlingske (Article in Danish)

Poorly translated in to English one of the chapters sound:
Quote
They have good jobs, living conditions that are in order, own their house and have gifted children with healthy hobbies. But suddenly one day they hang in the phone to DSS because their 14-year-old has gone crazy and is about to smash the house. She no longer suits her school, is not coming home at the agreed time, and are together with the completely wrong crowd. Remove small Frida, because she has become large and unmanageable, and now we can not have her living longer, plead the parents, who are used to clear things by themselves.

Wordwide parenting skills seem to disappear. What is wrong?
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

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Re: Woman abandons teen at hospital
« Reply #8 on: September 17, 2008, 03:09:51 AM »
Quote from: "Rotsne"
They are beginning to do this in Denmark too.

Velstilledes unge fjernes fra hjemmet (Children from wellmannered homes are removed), by Marianne Harbo, Berlingske (Article in Danish)

Poorly translated in to English one of the chapters sound:
Quote
They have good jobs, living conditions that are in order, own their house and have gifted children with healthy hobbies. But suddenly one day they hang in the phone to DSS because their 14-year-old has gone crazy and is about to smash the house. She no longer suits her school, is not coming home at the agreed time, and are together with the completely wrong crowd. Remove small Frida, because she has become large and unmanageable, and now we can not have her living longer, plead the parents, who are used to clear things by themselves.

Wordwide parenting skills seem to disappear. What is wrong?

"Remove small Frida, because she has become large and unmanageable"

lol

"and now we can not have her living longer, plead the parents"

so true in so many ways.

p
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Woman abandons teen at hospital
« Reply #9 on: September 17, 2008, 12:11:04 PM »
We're becoming domesticated.
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Offline try another castle

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Re: Woman abandons teen at hospital
« Reply #10 on: September 19, 2008, 12:08:06 AM »
John Lennon (referencing Yoko) had it wrong.

Woman is not the nigger of the world.

Children is.


And look, I will be the first to admit that there are a hell of a lot of teens out there who are little shit-head aliens, ok? But the whole situation is fucked up. Not because someone is or isn't able to dump their child, but because of the fact that there seems to be this crisis regarding what exactly the nature is of a parent/child relationship. Are your children autonomous people? Dependents? Property? Where (and when) does one end and the other begin?

I hate to actually agree with anything Hillary Clinton says, but I am indeed a big supporter of the idea of "communal" upbringing  via neighborhood culture (i.e. the "it takes a village" bullshit.)  It's just that there are so many *shitty* villages out there, we may not be much better off.

All I know is that when I was a kid, most houses along the block were sanctuary if needed...
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Offline Ursus

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Re: Woman abandons teen at hospital
« Reply #11 on: September 19, 2008, 12:29:30 AM »
Quote from: "psy"
If the parents are willing to abandon their kids like this, their kids probably deserve better than their parents.  Whether the state can provide that is another issue entirely...  My feeling is that it's a crapshoot depending mostly on the benevolence/malevolence of the foster parents, assuming that is who they end up with.  What do people think:  Is this better than or worse than sending the kid to a program?

Those kids may well still end up in a program, that is, one of the public sector gulags. And at which they will be on the bottom rung, as far as accountability of the staff is concerned... Little/no threat of a parent who might go running to the press if a restraint goes awry...
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Offline try another castle

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Re: Woman abandons teen at hospital
« Reply #12 on: September 19, 2008, 01:19:03 AM »
Quote from: "Ursus"
Quote from: "psy"
If the parents are willing to abandon their kids like this, their kids probably deserve better than their parents.  Whether the state can provide that is another issue entirely...  My feeling is that it's a crapshoot depending mostly on the benevolence/malevolence of the foster parents, assuming that is who they end up with.  What do people think:  Is this better than or worse than sending the kid to a program?

Those kids may well still end up in a program, that is, one of the public sector gulags. And at which they will be on the bottom rung, as far as accountability of the staff is concerned... Little/no threat of a parent who might go running to the press if a restraint goes awry...

I know that in a lot of ways, these unregulated places who keep their nasty business private may seem like a nice alternative (to those unschooled on the issue) when compared to CPS. Most cops *hate* it when they are forced to put a child into the system, such as from a domestic abuse call, or some such thing. They'll do anything they can to try to keep the kid either with a relative or a close friend of the family. My guess is this is because they know how fucking hideous the foster care system is. But still not a whole lot of people know how shitty the program system is, yet. Cause it's just too new.

Did you know that New Jersey Department of Youth and Family Services actually admitted to LOSING more than 100 foster children, and not following up on 300 reports of abuse? And at one point, they outsourced their call center to India? (I'm still trying to find additional verification on this, as I saw this in the news a long time ago and don't remember the specific source.)

A kid in florida reported abuse, was ignored, and then killed for wetting his pants. When his case worker found out, she falsified records to state that she had visited the child two days ago.

The fact of the matter is, you don't have much if you are underage. If your family situation is really shitty, and there is absolutely no adept relative or family friend who can take you in, the best you can hope for is that you are old enough to become eligible as an emancipated minor. The other, viable alternatives are to find a good group home or childrens' home. I've mentioned before that I was in one, so I have some authority on how fucking unbelievably different it is than a program, and was actually a relatively healthy environment. (I learned a lot more from the house mothers than I ever did from my real one.)

We all know that the outsourcing of parenthood isn't new. From orphanages for the abandoned, to military schools for the privileged, (just keep him there till he's 18 and hopefully respects authority) the fact of the matter is, people will dump their kids off for someone else to take care of them, no matter what kind of law is in place to help or dissuade the facilitation of that.

These are the kids who fall through the cracks. And there are a shitload of them. I knew a girl at RMA who was in the system from a very early age, and had been sent to RMA by her current foster parents. (Who were unbelievably impossible people.) She had some really horrible stories to tell.


I seriously doubt my parents ever would have taken advantage of this new law, although I'm sure my mother would have most certainly threatened me with it... a lot. lol. "If you don't stop driving me crazy, I am abandoning you at the nearest hospital."


Oh yeah, and for those out there who are still on the pro-regulation bandwagon regarding programs...

CPS is regulated in every state.
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