- Signatures: 1,543
- Goal: 1,000
- Deadline: 9-19-2004
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Help victims of Domestic Violence/Abuse falsely accused of child abuse/neglect protect their children
| Number | Date | Prefix | Name | I am signing this petition because: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,555 | 11:25 am PST, Nov 11 | crystal y bernabe | On Sept 14 2009 my two babys my daughter 1and a half and my son 7mnths were taken from me for reason being that my very first kid i gave up did drugs that whole pregnancy and due to me not showing them any progress in trying to get him back their judging me by that 1year later i had a baby girl and a baby boy i wasent in to drugs anymore and it felt good to know that i was taking them home born with no problems at all healthy too but when i had my daughter they tried to take her away i wasent about to let them take her there was just no need too it was unnessisary so i checked my self out the hospital before they could get a hold to keep her as they tried to gather paper work i was out the doors an even signed my release and discharge papers for me and my baby i made it out before they had rights to keep her from me so when i had my son i already knew how to go around the drama they are i had my son under my sis name i knew i could not use my name i had missing persons under my name for me and my daughter so to prevent there visit and avoid them trying to even take my daughter as well as my son so my last kid is under my sisters info as my time came i left the hospital with no problem well as months went by my daughter who dcfs is dying to take from me happens to walk out the gate and for the first time for any reason that gate is always closed due to the kids playing out in the front all day every day also that being the first time that our dame nieghbor left it open thats all it took i had just checked on her as i was mopping my kitchen and me my whole family thinking the gates closed unaware it was left open by someone knowing after so long of closing that gate all of a sudden us being way unaware of it being open it was the last thing we ever exspected so within seconds i see the secruity guard from maclaren hall witch is also across the street from my house comes to my door with my baby in her hands i was scared i got my daughter from her and slammed my door an hour later police and dcfs are at my door finger print me rite at my door and my warrents form dcfs pop up and they arrest me and take my kids the only two babys in that house knowing they were mine were gone just like that im being charged with CHILDABUSUE/CHILDNEGLECT FOR MY BABY GOING OUT IN THE STREET but everything else are straight out lies insiting that the false alligations brought up against me are true facts like they know forsure with there own to eyes makeing me sound like a careless mother and boy are they convinceing and plus its working there word against mine now i may just be s ol but im taking it to trial and im not going out with out a fight | |
| 1,554 | 10:01 pm PST, Nov 9 | Ms. | Wendy Iversen | My daughter was removed from my home in Jan of 2009 on a baseless claim. Her attendence had fallen but we had to move 6 times in one year. She was still on the B honor role, but the cause was attendence. She was removed from my custody at 14, no other allegations, this is permanent until she is 18. She was a good girl but suicidal now and is drinking and God knows what else because she is so lonely and so hurt. She will grow up now NEVER trusting adults and they have destroyed her self confidence, she is questioning her own ability to make solid decisions because it was obvious this was not deserved, as her parent I don't understand why, how can she? This movement has got to stop! Corruption, lies and whatever the goal is here in the end can only be resolved in hell with this movement. I will not let it destroy me, revenge is the Lords, hell is forever! |
| 1,553 | 2:23 pm PST, Nov 7 | Ms. | Kila Alisauskas | I had one little boy taken from me unjustly because i had no way of getting a protective order. They unjustly took my child i recently again was in an abusive situation and my soon to be ex husband is hoping to take my child from me. It follows you for the rest of your life. |
| 1,552 | 7:12 am PDT, Oct 24 | Ms. | Anonymous | My daughter was accused of brakeing her sons leg ,and while in a cast his leg was broke in another place {femur bone} And then placed in to froster care... and two years later he now with his father.. and my daughter see her son 1 hr a week and has to pay to see him... |
| 1,551 | 8:50 pm PDT, Oct 20 | Ms. | Anonymous | It's obvious why I am signing this petition, isn't it? |
| 1,550 | 2:04 pm PDT, Oct 20 | mike bruce | I know 100% from personal experience that sometimes people really are innocent but falsely accused of Shaken Baby Syndrome. It is based on a theory that has never been scientifically proven. Differential diagnosis are mostly not performed once the "hunt" begins. Nothing is worse than losing your child....that is what I used to think. Add onto it them taking your other children and that makes it worse and then you think it can't worse than that? Add in the pointing of fingers at the parents after they lose one child to death and the other to child protective services. The motto is "in the best interest of the child". But when the child is taken from an INNOCENT parent then the results are not in the best interest of the child or the parents. What happened to innocent until proven innocent? Just another false motto? You never get the apology you deserve and even when you prove you are innocent people still look at you differently. Makes me feel the hospital uses this theory in an effort to cover up their mistakes. Our son had 1 cm head growth within 24 hours....40 days before he ever left the NICU,,,They never performed a CT scan but only a cranial ultrasound which can not pick up the Subdural and Subarcharnoid bleeds....the bleeds that need to be detected BEFORE you leave the hopsital...not after you return..Read our story at www.jfdv.org God BLess | |
| 1,549 | 6:52 pm PDT, Oct 11 | Anonymous | My sister is going through the same thing on Sept 30th CPS took her kids away from her claiming she is Mental abusing them when all she was doing was trying to protect them from there Father whom they are claiming sexually assualted them she tem had to go to court where they ended up giving his parents temporary custody until she goes back to court on OCT 13 I am wondering how Nevada Laws can be so screwed up that they take kids away from mothers who try to protect them . | |
| 1,548 | 11:23 am PDT, Oct 9 | Ms. | Anonymous | My ex is attempting to get physical custody of our daughter by claiming I am jeopardizing her mental health. He is using custody of her to punish me for filing assault charges against him. |
| 1,547 | 11:44 am PDT, Sep 29 | nicole figueroa | My sons father has falsely accused me of abusing my son. He does not lift a finger to help me with him. He has two felony assaults against him from me when he phisically abused me in the past one being recently this year 09. He accused me of being addicted to drugs and alcohol. I recently submitted to a drug test and now i have been SLEEPLESSLY WAITING FOR THE CPS SUPERVISOR TO RETURN FROM VACATION!!! THIS IS A DAMN NIGHTMARE I JUST WANT TO GO AWAY THEY HAVE CAME TO MY HOME and have seen that nothing is wrong with my son phisically, emotionally or mentally. I REALLY FEEL THAT THE ACCUSER SHOULD ALSO BE INVESTIGATED ESPECIALLY IN A CASE LIKE MINE. HE has also been contacting my family members and threatening them yet i still have an opened case. GOD KNOWS THE REAL ABOUT ALL OF THIS AND IM LEAVING IT IN HIS HANDS. PLEASE PRAY FOR ME | |
| 1,546 | 11:08 am PDT, Sep 25 | Anonymous | My niece moved to Arizona and has been taking her child to the doctor to see why he was so small the doctors kept telling her that nothing was wrong with the child. She went through a domestic case with her husband and her children were taken away from her due to the arizona saying that she was neglecting her children. The foster parent took the child to the hospital for the same exact same reason and the doctors found out that he had some sort of blockage in his throat. She is now being charge for abuse and facing time for a warrent that was put out for her arrest. | |
| 1,545 | 3:35 pm PDT, Sep 22 | Anonymous | I'am going through the same thing. | |
| 1,544 | 12:46 pm PDT, Sep 10 | Mrs. | brandy canez | because my children were taken after one incident of domestic violence. instead of helping us they took my kids and treated me as the abuser. they used lies and manipulations. |
| 1,543 | 5:41 am PDT, Aug 27 | Ms. | Catherine Avey | I know how it feels to be wrongly accused of neglect as i was accused of it when my daughter had severe excema i read up about it and didnt want to use the strong steriod creams prescribed for the fear of causing the vast number of side effects. i was also accused of having a mental health condition called munchousens syndrome by proxy which is when the mother perpously want to see her child suffer. On the contary i was tryin to easy my childs suffering and tryin to treat her skin condition without the side effects. In the end i was bullied into using the creams or risked by daughter being takin from me. But i will never ever ever ever forgive the professor at booth hall hospital for the allegations or social services for puttin even more strain and pressure on the worst time of my life and my daughters. |
| 1,542 | 7:11 am PDT, Aug 7 | Mrs. | Anonymous | My niece dropped her 2 month old daughter Wednesday night getting out of the bathtub, she tripped over her 15 month old son, the baby seemed fine until the next morning when my niece knew something was wrong so she took her to the ER and the baby has a skull fracture and as of this morning they are saying she is brain dead and they are accusing my niece of shaken baby syndrome and have taken her other kids out of the house. They will not let her be with the baby that is dying and they will not tell her anything about the other two children. She has no money for a lawyer, legal defense will not touch her because it is a criminal case and the county they live in, in Indiana, is the most crooked county you could ever imagine. It is a good old boy county and there is only one judge for the whole county. I know there are people out there that do this kind of stuff and that is what makes it so bad, how do you prove you did not do it. Where do we go from here? We are so scared for my niece we can't properly grieve for the baby and my niece is in a state of shock. We need help but don't know where to turn. |
| 1,541 | 8:41 pm PDT, Aug 2 | Mrs. | lahoma collins | i am a grandmother fighting for custody of grnddaughter taken by dhhr in mercer county she was not placed with me due to substantuated allegations of neglect and maltreatment against my 3 daughters |
| 1,540 | 4:48 pm PDT, Jul 30 | wendy saunders | My gandchilderns father took them and has had them for two months and refuses to returned them to my daughter he says she has abused them she has full custody of them she has proved that she has not done this threw the social services and threw the hospital but it is put off in the courts. please help if you can | |
| 1,539 | 11:58 am PDT, Jul 30 | Anonymous | I am sick of the CPS and my ex husband making false statements from Nicholas County West Virginia. A few years ago, things were said that wasn't true and 4 years later I find out that it's on my record and I can't work with children or elderly!! They will all pay, I lost my job last week because I was taking care of an elderly person and my place of employment called and said they had to let me go because all this was on my record, well what am I going to do now, I pay 500 a month rent and a 200.00 a month truck payment, guess we will be homeless and not have a vehicle..Anyone have any suggestions at all of what I can do..CPS said I could take it to court, but more that likely it won't be taken off my record because it's been to long ago..and I just found out about it.... | |
| 1,538 | 9:57 am PDT, Jul 28 | Ms. | Anonymous | There needs to be more investigations into social workers, case workers and the departments they work for. Too many focus on innocent mothers and fail to investigate the ones who really are abusive or neglecting their children. And more legal aid needs to be provided to mothers who are accused and loosing their children. And when children can't be placed in their parents home they should be put in a relatives home if at all possible. |
| 1,537 | 1:17 pm PDT, Jul 18 | Anonymous | There are a lot of true domestic violence cases and there are a lot of falsely accused violence cases. They are are to distinquish the difference. There are normally no witnesses to the crime other than the person being abused. I believe that there should be longer time frames place between the accusations and the trial. I feel that the child should be placed in temporary custody but not with either the plaintiff or the defendent. Medically evidence should be gathered within 24 hours of the accusation and so on ... | |
| 1,536 | 3:51 pm PDT, Jul 11 | Mrs. | Anonymous | I was falsely accused of physically abusing my son by my mentally unstable mother in law- who took falsified misleading inaccurate photgraphs allegedly of my son- and was granted temporary guardianship without any kind of investigation! My baby is unsafe with her! And she has no proof that one abuse occurred and two that I was the culprit. What a corrupt system and idiot judge! Something needs to be done. |
| 1,535 | 10:21 am PDT, Jul 1 | Anonymous | i know a few mothers who have lost their children and the state wont give them back even when their good parents. | |
| 1,534 | 6:39 pm PDT, Jun 29 | Ms. | kristy kozaka | GOING THROUGH THE SAME HELL IN FLORIDA. THE DCF HAS STOLEN MY BABY AND I HOPE THEY ALL GO TO HELL, AS THE TORTURE THEY HAVE CAUSED ME AND MY BABY IS INHUMANE. MY BABY AND I HAVE SUFFERED FROM BEING SEPARATED AND WE LOVED EACH OTHER MORE THAN ANYTHING. THEY HAVE PURPOSELY TRIED TO BREAK OUR ATTACHMENT AND HAEV BEEN ABUSIVE AND UNRESPONSIVE AND ARE CLEARLY NOT LOOKING OUT FOR THE BEST INTEREST OF CHILDREN, AND ONLY WORKING TO COLLECT REVENUE FOR THE STATE OF FLORIDA. I HAD NEVER EVEN FELT SUCH A LOVE AS THE LOVE FOR MY DAUGHTER AND I PRAY THAT WE WILL BE REUNITED. I PRAY THE DCF, THE LYING LAWYERS AND THE CORRUPT POLICE ALL GO TO HELL AND THAT THE STATE STOP RUINING FAMILIES LIVES. I HAD MORE LOVE FOR MY DAUGHTER IN TWO MONTHS THAN I KNEW IN AN ENTIRE LIFETIME. MY BABY WAS THE GREATEST JOY AND GIFT I HAD EVER IMAGINED, AND I BREASTFED AND HELD HER IN MY ARMS 24 HOURS A DAY. IT WAS HEAVEN, AND SINCE SHE WAS STOLEN, IT HAS BEEN HELL. THE AGENCY, DEVEREAUX, AND THE CASE WORKER, BOBBI SPARMUELER, AS WELL AS THE DCF WORKER, TRELI MUSTAFA, AND ALL OTHERS INVOLVED ARE ABUSIVE LIERS WHOM CARE MORE ABOUT THEMSELVES AND MONEY THAN THE LIVES OF CHILDREN. THE RESULT - THE STATE HAS NO ONLY STOLEN MY HEALTHY AND HAPPY AND BEAUTIFUL BABY, BUT THEY HAVE ALSO SEVERELY DAMAGED HER HEALTH (AND MINE AND OUR RELATIONSHIP AS MOTHER AND BABY) AND WELL BEING AS A RESULT OF NOT HAVING MY (HER MOTHERS LOVING CARE, BREASTMILK, AND NURTURING). THE STATE HAS PUT TOGETHER A GROTESQUE FARCE OF A REPORT FILLED WITH FALSE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST ME. A CALL TO A LAWYER TOLD ME THAT "THE DCF IS A REVENUE SOURCE FOR THE STATE" AFTER I EXPLAINED MY SITUATION. THE DCF WORKER, TRELI MUSTAFA, WAS ABUSIVE TO ME AND THREATENED TO "PUT ME IN JAIL" IF I DID NOT TELL HER THE NAME OF MY BABY'S FATHER. > When I saw my baby at the first visit, she was pale, sad, > scared, lifeless, and screaming. Never once, in the entire > time that my baby was in my -- her mother's care -- did she > ever scream. She was always in a state of quiet alertness, > where she was happy from sucking on mom's breast, sleeping, > or being entertained and educated by Mom, who would read to > her, sing to her, and play with her. MY BABY WAS ALWAYS: > > -CLOTHED > -FED BREASTMILK -- 12 TIMES A DAY > -COMFORTED > -LOVED > -EVERY CRY WAS RESPONDED TO -- IMMEDIATELY > -CO SLEPT WITH MOTHER TO CREATE A STRONG MOTHER/BABY > ATTACHEMENT (RESEARCH INDICATES THAT THIS FOSTERS A HEALTHY > CHILD, WHO TRUSTS AND LOVES, IS HEALTHIER, AND BRIGHTER, > BECAUSE THE BABY ALWAYS KNOWS THAT MOTHER IS THERE -- AND I > BELIEVE -- THIS WOULD CREATE A LESS SAD CHILD LATER IN LIFE > -- ONE LESS LIKELY TO TURN TO ALCOHOL, DRUGS, OR POOR > BEHAVIOR) > -WE LIVE IN MASSACHUSETTS > > ALL I HAVE ARE LOVE LETTERS, CARDS, AND POEMS FOR MY > DAUGHTER, WHO IS LITERALLLY THE GREATST JOY AND GIFT THAT > EVERY HAPPENED TO ME. > > I WOULD SAY TO MY DAUGHTER EVERY DAY " I LOVE YOU", "THANK > YOU" "YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL", "PEACE". I ALSO TAUGHT HER THESE > PHRASES IN SIGN LANGUAGE. > A LIST OF THE HAPPY TIMES WE SHARED TOGETHER: > > -BREASTFEEING > -HER HUMMS AND COOS > -BEING ROCKED IN AN INFANT SEAT > -TUGGING AT MOM'S HAIR > -LISTENING TO MOM'S HEARTBEAT > -LISTENIGN TO SOFT MUSIC > -GOING ON WALKS IN A STROLLER > -BEING HELD 24 HOURS A DAY > -FEEDING 12 TIMES A DAY -- EVERY TWO HOURS > -DRESSING HER IN BEAUTIFUL CLOTHES THAT MADE HER FEEL > SECURE, AND LOVED > -READING TO HER THE RESULT - THE STATE HAS NO ONLY STOLEN MY HEALTHY AND HAPPY AND BEAUTIFUL BABY, BUT THEY HAVE ALSO SEVERELY DAMAGED HER HEALTH (AND MINE AND OUR RELATIONSHIP AS MOTHER AND BABY) AND WELL BEING AS A RESULT OF NOT HAVING MY (HER MOTHERS LOVING CARE, BREASTMILK, AND NURTURING). > YOU HAVE ALL TAUGHT MY DAUGHTER THE WORST PAIN IN THE > WORLD, BY STEALING HER AND MAKING HER FEEL UNLOVED AND > NEGLECTED, TO THE POINT THAT IT COULD CAUSE SEVERE BRAIN > DAMAGE AND STRESS IN MY BABY. > THE STYLE OF PARENTING I CHOSE -- ATTACHMENT PARENTING -- IS SO THAT MY DAUGHTER WILL NEVER NEED TO GO TO AN ORGANIZATION SUCH AS DEVEREAUX, OR TURN TO MEDICATIONS THAT HARM CHILDREN. > > 1. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends it. > "Human milk is the preferred feeding for all infants, > including premature and sick newborns...It is recommended > that breastfeeding continue for at least the first 12 > months, and thereafter for as long as mutually desired." > A.A.P. Breastfeeding Policy Statement: Breastfeeding and > the Use of Human Milk (RE2729) > > 2. Breastfeeding promotes bonding between mother and baby. > Breastfeeding stimulates the release of the hormone > oxytocin in the mother's body. "It is now well established > that oxytocin, as well as stimulating uterine contractions > and milk ejection, promotes the development of maternal > behavior and also bonding between mother and offspring." > Uvnas-Moberg, Eriksson: Breastfeeding: physiological, > endocrine and behavioral adaptations caused by oxytocin and > local neurogenic activity in the nipple and mammary gland. > Acta Paediatrica,1996 May, 85(5):525-30 > > 3. Breastfeeding satisfies baby's emotional needs. > All babies need to be held. Studies have shown that > premature babies are more likely to die if they are not held > or stroked. There is no more comforting feeling for an > infant of any age than being held close and cuddled with > while breastfeeding. While many bottle-feeding parents are > aware of the importance of cradling their babies while > offering the bottle, some are not. Even for parents with > good intentions, there is always the temptation to prop up a > bottle next to the child, or, when the baby is a little > older, to let the child hold his/her own bottle and sit > alone. This is emotionally unsatisfying to baby, and can be > dangerous physically (because a child can choke and it can > also lead to tooth decay if prolonged). > > 4. Breast milk provides perfect infant nutrition. > "Human milk is uniquely superior for infant feeding and is > species-specific; all substitute feeding options differ > markedly from it. The breastfed infant is the reference or > normative model against which all alternative feeding > methods must be measured with regard to growth, health, > development, and all other short and long-term benefits." > A.A.P. Breastfeeding Policy Statement: Breastfeeding and > the Use of Human Milk (RE2729) > > 5. Not breastfeeding increases a mother's risk of breast > cancer. > "If all women who do not breastfeed or who breastfeed for > less than 3 months were to do so for 4 to 12 months, breast > cancer among parous premenopausal women could be reduced by > 11 percent, judging from current rates. If all women with > children lactated for 24 months or longer, however, then the > incidence might be reduced by nearly 25 percent. This > reduction would be even greater among women who first > lactate at an early age." > Newcomb PA, Storer BE, Longnecker MP, et al. Lactation and > a reduced risk of premenopausal breast cancer. N Engl J Med. > 1994;330:81-87 > > 6. Formula feeding increases baby girls' risk of developing > breast cancer in later life. > Women who were formula-fed as infants have higher rates of > breast cancer as adults. For both premenopausal and > postmenopausal breast cancer, women who were breastfed as > children, even if only for a short time, had a 25 percent > lower risk of developing breast cancer than women who were > bottle-fed as infants. > Freudenheim, J. et al. 1994 "Exposure to breast milk in > infancy and the risk of breast cancer." Epidemiology > 5:324-331 > > 7. Formula Feeding is associated with lower I.Q. > The latest study to support this statement was done in New > Zealand. Here, an 18 year longitudinal study of over 1,000 > children found that those who were breastfed as infants had > both better intelligence and greater academic achievement > than children who were infant-formula fed. > Horwood and Fergusson, "Breastfeeding and Later Cognitive > and Academic Outcomes", Jan 1998 Pediatrics Vol. 101, No. 1 > > Morrow-Tlucak M, Haude RH, Ernhart CB. Breastfeeding and > cognitive development in the first 2 years of life. Soc Sci > Med. 1988:26;635-639 > Lucas A., "Breast Milk and Subsequent Intelligence Quotient > in Children Born Preterm". Lancet 1992;339:261-62 > Wang YS, Wu SY. The effect of exclusive breastfeeding on > development and incidence of infection in infants. J Hum > Lactation. 1996; 12:27-30 > > 8. Breast milk is always ready and comes in a nicer package > than formula does. > Need we say more? > > 9. Breast milk helps pass meconium. > Babies are born with a sticky tar-like substance called > meconium in their intestines. Colostrum, or early milk, is > uniquely designed to help move this substance through the > infant's body. > > 10. Breast milk contains immunities to diseases and > illnesses and aids in the development of baby's immune > system. > Formula provides neither of these benefits. > Koutras, A.K., "Fecal Secretory Immunoglobulin A in Breast > Milk vs. Formula Feeding in Early Infancy". J. Ped Gastro > Nutr 1989. > > 11. Breast milk is more digestible than formula. > "Babies can digest human milk more easily than the milk of > other animals, probably because human milk contains an > enzyme that aids in this process. Breast milk forms softer > curds in the infant's stomach than cow's milk (the basis for > most formulas) and is more quickly assimilated into the body > system. While it contains less protein than does cow's milk, > virtually all the protein in breast milk is available to the > baby. By contrast, about half the protein in cow's milk > passes through the baby's body as a waste product. > Similarly, iron and zinc are absorbed better by breastfed > babies." > The Complete Book Of Breastfeeding M.S. Eiger. MD, S. > Wendkos Olds. Copyright 1972, 1987 Comstock, Inc., Workman > Publishing Co., Inc. > > 12. Suckling helps shrink a mother's uterus after > childbirth. > "Nursing will help you to regain your figure more quickly, > since the process of lactation causes the uterus (which has > increased during pregnancy to about 20 times its normal > size) to shrink more quickly to its prepregnancy size." > The Complete Book Of Breastfeeding M.S. Eiger. MD, S. > Wendkos Olds. Copyright 1972, 1987 Comstock, Inc., Workman > Publishing Co., Inc. > The uterus of the non-breastfeeding mother will never > shrink back to its pre-pregnant size. It will always remain > slightly enlarged. > Chua S, Arulkumaran S, Lim I et al. "Influence of > breastfeeding and nipple stimulation on postpartum uterine > activity." Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1994; 101:804-805 > > 13. Suckling helps prevent post-partum hemorrhage. > Nursing her baby causes the mother's body to release > oxytocin, which stimulates contractions which help shrink > the uterus back to prepregnancy size while expelling the > placenta. These contractions also shut off the maternal > blood vessels that formerly fed the baby and discourage > excessive bleeding. Women who choose not to breastfeed must > be given synthetic oxytocin to insure against hemorrhaging. > Chua S, Arulkumaran S, Lim I et al. "Influence of > breastfeeding and nipple stimulation on postpartum uterine > activity." Br J Ovstet Gynaecol 1994; 101:804-805 > > 14. Nursing helps mom lose weight after baby is born. > Breastfeeding requires an average of 500 extra calories per > day. > Dewey KG, Heinig MJ, Nommwen LA. Maternal weight-loss > patterns during prolonged lactation. Am J Clin Nutr > 1993;58:162-166 > "Mothers who breastfed exclusively or partially had > significantly larger reductions in hip circumference and > were less above their prepregnancy weights at 1 month > postpartum than mothers who fed formula exclusively." > Kramer, F., "Breastfeeding reduces maternal lower body > fat." J. Am Diet Assoc 1993; 93(4):429-33 > > 15. Pre-term milk is specially designed for premature > infants. > "Milk produced by women who deliver prematurely differs > from that produced after a full-term pregnancy. > Specifically, during the first month after parturition, > preterm milk maintains a composition similar to that of > colostrum." > Hamosh, Margit, PhD, Georgetown University Medical Center > "Breast-feeding: Unraveling the Mysteries of Mother's Milk". > > > 16. The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF > recommend it. > "...breastfeeding is an unequaled way of providing ideal > food for the healthy growth and development of infants; ... > it forms a unique biological and emotional basis for the > health of both mother and child; ... the anti-infective > properties of breast milk help to protect infants against > disease; and ... there is an important relationship between > breastfeeding and child spacing."(Emphasis added) > The WHO/UNICEF International Code of Marketing of > Breastmilk Substitutes. > > 17. Breastfeeding protects against Crohn's disease (an > intestinal disorder). > Koletzko S, Sherman P, Corey M, et al. "Role of infant > feeding practices in development of Crohn's disease in > childhood." Br Med J. 1989;298:1617-1618 > Rigas A, Rigas B, Blassman M, et al. "Breast-feeding and > maternal smoking in the etiology of Crohn's disease and > ulcerative colitis in childhood." Ann Epidemiol. > 1993;3387-392 > > 18. Formula feeding increases risk of baby developing type > I (juvenile, insulin-dependent) diabetes. > The results of a study in Finland suggest that introduction > of dairy products at a young age and high milk consumption > during childhood increase the level of cow's milk antibodies > in the children's systems. This factor is independently > associated with increased risk of insulin dependent > diabetes. > Virtanen et al: "Diet, Cow's milk protein antibodies and > the risk of IDDM in Finnish children." Childhood Diabetes in > Finland Study Group. Diabetologia, Apr 1994, 37(4):381-7 > Mayer, EJ, Hamman RF, Gay EC, et al. "Reduced risk of IDDM > among breast-fed children". Diabetes, 1988;37:1625-1632 > Virtanen SM, Rasanen L, Aro A, et al. "Infant feeding in > Finnish children ovarian cancer. > Rosenblatt KA, Thomas DB, "WHO Collaborative Study of > Neoplasia and Steroid Contraceptives." Int J Epidemiol. > 1993;22:192-197 > Schneider, A.P. "Risk Factor for Ovarian Cancer." New > England Journal of Medicine, 1987. > > 22. Not breastfeeding increases mother's risk of developing > endometrial cancer. > Petterson B, et al. "Menstruation span- a time limited risk > factor for endometrial carcinoma." Acta Obstst Gyneocol > Scand 1986;65:247-55 > > 23. Formula feeding increases chances of baby developing > allergies. > Lucas A, Brooke OG, Morley R, et al. "Early diet of preterm > infants and development of allergic ar atopic disease: > randomized prospective study." Br Med J. 1990:300:837-840 > Halken S, Host A, Hansen LG, et al. "Effect of an allergy > prevention programme on incidence of atopic symptoms in > infancy". Ann Allergy. 1992;47:545-553 > Saarinen UM, Kajossari M. "Breastfeeding as prophylaxis > against atopic disease: prospective follow-up study until 17 > years old." Lancet. 1995;346:1065-1069 > > 24. Breast milk lowers risk of baby developing asthma. > Breastfed babies have lower risk for developing recurrent > wheezing when they are older (age 6 or more). > Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Med., July 1995 > > 25. Formula feeding increases baby's risk of otitis media > (ear infections). > "Otitis media is up to three to four times more prevalent > in formula-fed infants." > Aniansson G, Alm B, Andersson B, et al. "A prospective > cohort study on breast-feeding and otitis media in Swedish > infants." Pediatr Infect Dis J. 1994; 13:183-188 > Kovar MG, Serdula MK, Marks JS, et al. "Review of the > epidemiologic evidence for an association between infant > feeding and infant health." Pediatrics. 1984:74:S615-S638 > Saarinen UM. "Prolonged Breast Feeding as prophylaxis for > recurrent otitis media." Acta Paediatr Scand. > 1982;71:567-571 > > 26. Formula feeding may increase risk of sudden infant > death syndrome (SIDS). > Ford RPK, Taylor BJ, Mitchell EA, et al. "Breastfeeding and > the risk of sudden infant death syndrome." Int J. Epidemiol. > 1993;22:885-890 > Mitchell EA, Taylor BJ, Ford RPK, et al. "Four modifiable > and other major risk factors for cot death: the New Zealand > Study." J Paediatr Child Health. 1992;28:S3-S8 > Scragg LK, Mitchell EA, Tonkin SL, et al. Evaluation of the > cot death prevention programme in South Auckland. NZ Med J. > 1993;106:8-10 > > 27. Breastfeeding protects baby against diarrheal > infections. > Kovar MG, Serdula MK, Marks JS, et al. "Review of the > epidemiologic evidence for an association between infant > feeding and infant health." Pediatrics. 1984:74:S615-S638 > Dewey KG, Heinig MJ, Nommsen-Rivers LA. "Differences in > morbidity between breast-fed and formula-fed infants." > Pediatrics. 1995;126:696-702 > Howie PW, Forsyth JS, Ogston SA, et al. "Protective effect > of breast feeding against infection." Br Med J. > 1990;300:11-16 > Popkin BM, Adair L, Akin JS, et al. "Breast-feeding and > diarrheal morbidity." Pediatrics. 1990;86:874-882 > Beaudry M, Dufour R, Marcoux S. "Relation between infant > feeding and infections during the first six months of life." > J Pediatr. 1995; 126:191-197 > > 28. Breastfeeding protects baby against bacterial > meningitis. > Cochi SL, Fleming DW, Hightower AW, et al. "Primary > invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b disease: a > population-based assessment of risk factors." J Pediatr. > 1986;108:997-896 > Istre GR, Conner JS, Broome CV, et al. "Risk factors for > primary invasive Haemophilus influenzae disease: increased > risk from day care attendance and school-aged household > members." J Pediatr. 1985;106:190-198 > > 29. Breastfeeding protects baby against respiratory > infections. > Frank Al, Taber LH, Glezen WP, et al. "Breast-feeding and > respiratory virus infection." Pediatrics 1982;70:239-245 > Wright AI, Holberg DJ, Martinez FD, et al. "Breast feeding > and lower respiratory tract illness in the first year of > life." Br Med J. 1989;299:935-949 > Chen Y. "Synergistic effect of passive smoking and > artificial feeding on hospitalization for respiratory > illness in early childhood." Chest. 1989;95:1004-1007 > Wright AL, Holberg CH, Taussig LM, et al. "Relationship of > infant feeding to recurrent wheezing at age 6 years." Arch > Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1995;149:758-763 > > 30. Formula fed babies have a higher risk of developing > certain childhood lymphomas. > Davis MK, Savitz DA, Graubard BI. "Infant feeding and > childhood cancer." Lancet. 1988;2:365-368 > Shu X-O, Clemens H, Zheng W, et al. "Infant breastfeeding > and the risk of childhood lymphoma and leukaemia". Int J > Epidemiol. 1995;24:27-32 > > 31. Breastfeeding decreases chances of juvenile rheumatoid > arthritis. > Preliminary data from U. of North Carolina/Duke University > researchers indicates breastfed children were only 40 > percent as likely to develop JA. > "Mother's Milk: An Ounce of Prevention?" Arthritis Today > May-June 1994 > > 32. Breastfeeding decreases child's chances of contracting > Hodgkins disease. > "An Exploratory Study of Environmental and Medical Factors > Potentially Related to Childhood Cancer." Medical & > Pediatric Oncology, 1991; 19(2):115-21 > > 33. Breastfeeding protects baby against vision defects. > Birch E, et al. "Breastfeeding and optimal visual > development." J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus 1993;30:33-8 > In a study in Bangladesh, breastfeeding was a protective > factor for night blindness among preschool-aged children in > both rural and urban areas. Breast milk is generally the > main, if not the only source, of vitamin A during a child's > first 24 months of life (or for the duration of > breastfeeding). > Bloem, M. et al. "The role of universal distribution of > vitamin A capsules in combatting vitamin A deficiency in > Bangladesh.: Am J Epidemiol 1995; 142(8): 843-55 > > 34. Breastfeeding decreases chances of maternal > osteoporosis in later life. > The odds that a woman with osteoporosis did not breastfeed > her baby was four times higher than for a control woman. > Blaauw, R. et al. "Risk factors for development of > osteoporosis in a South African population." SAMJ 1994; > 84:328-32 > Dr. Alan Lucas, MRC Childhood Nutrition Research Center of > London, found that 8-year-olds who were fed formula rather > than breast fed as infants, had less developed bone > mineralization than those fed breast milk. > Melton LJ, Bryant SC, Wahner HW, et al. "Influence of > breastfeeding and other reproductive factors on bone mass > later in life." Osteoporos Int. 1993;22:684-691 > Cumming RG, Klineberg RJ. "Breastfeeding and other > reproductive factors and the risk of hip fractures in > elderly woman." Int J Epidemiol 1993;22:684-691 > > 35. Breast milk is an intestinal soother. > > 36. Cow's milk is an intestinal irritant. > > 37. Formula-fed babies are more at risk for obesity in > later life. > > 38. Breastfed babies have less chance of cardiopulmonary > distress while feeding. > Bottle-fed babies are at increased risk of cardiopulmonary > disturbances, including prolonged airway closure and > obstructed respiratory breaths due to repeated swallowing. > Koenig HS, Davies Am, Thach BT. "Coordination of breathing, > sucking and swallowing during bottle feedings in human > infants." J Appl Physiol 69: 1629: 1623-1629, 1990. > Infants can experience oxygen saturation below 90 percent > when bottlefeeding. Nine of 50 healthy term infants in one > study experienced bradycardia during bottlefeeding. Six of > these episodes were preceded by apnea, three showed hypopnea > (marked reduction in ventilation) and one had certral apnea > (no respiratory efforts). > Matthew O, Clark ML, Ponske MH. Apnea, bradycardia, and > cyanosis during oral feeding in term neonates." J Pediatr > 106:857, 1985 > > 39. Breastfed babies have less chance of developing > ulcerative colitis. > Rigas A, Rigas B, Blassman M, et al. "Breast-feeding and > maternal smoking in the etiology of Crohn's disease and > ulcerative colitis in childhood." Ann Epidemiol. > 1993;3387-392 > > 40. Breast milk protects against hemophilus b. virus. > Cochi SL, Fleming DW, Hightower AW, et al. "Primary > invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b disease: a > population-based assessment of risk factors." J Pediatr. > 1986;108:997-896 > Takala AK, Eskola J, Palmgren J, et al. "Risk factors of > invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b disease among > children in Finland. J Pediatr. 1980;115:695-701 > Istre GR, Conner JS, Broome CV, et al. "Risk factors for > primary invasive Haemophilus influenzae disease: increased > risk from day care attendance and school-aged household > members." J Pediatr. 1985;106:190-198 > > > What is API All About? > API's Eight Principles of Parenting > The long-range vision of Attachment Parenting is to raise > children who will become adults with a highly developed > capacity for empathy and connection. It eliminates violence > as a means for raising children, and ultimately helps to > prevent violence in society as a whole. > The essence of Attachment Parenting is about forming and > nurturing strong connections between parents and their > children. Attachment Parenting challenges us as parents to > treat our children with kindness, respect and dignity, and > to model in our interactions with them the way we'd like > them to interact with others. > Attachment Parenting isn't new. In many ways, it is a > return to the instinctual behaviors of our ancestors. In the > last sixty years, the behaviors of attachment have been > studied extensively by psychology and child development > researchers, and more recently, by researchers studying the > brain. This body of knowledge offers strong support for > areas that are key to the optimal development of children, > summarized below in API's Eight Principles of Parenting. > The following links will lead you to condensed versions of > each of the Eight Principles. API Co-Founders Lysa Parker > and Barbara Nicholson will release a book in early Summer > 2008 that will explore the Eight Principles in detail. The > book will be available in the API website store. > Please read the introduction first, as it contains > important information that applies to all Eight Principles. > If you have questions about applying the Eight Principles in > your family, please contact an API Parent Support Group > Leader near you or API Headquarters. > API's Eight Principles of Parenting > Read the Introduction > > Prepare for Pregnancy, Birth, and Parenting > Become emotionally and physically prepared for pregnancy > and birth. Research available options for healthcare > providers and birthing environments, and become informed > about routine newborn care. Continuously educate yourself > about developmental stages of childhood, setting realistic > expectations and remaining flexible. > Read more > > > Feed with Love and Respect > Breastfeeding is the optimal way to satisfy an infant's > nutritional and emotional needs. "Bottle Nursing" adapts > breastfeeding behaviors to bottle-feeding to help initiate a > secure attachment. Follow the feeding cues for both infants > and children, encouraging them to eat when they are hungry > and stop when they are full. Offer healthy food choices and > model healthy eating behavior. > Read more > > > Respond with Sensitivity > Build the foundation of trust and empathy beginning in > infancy. Tune in to what your child is communicating to you, > then respond consistently and appropriately. Babies cannot > be expected to self-soothe, they need calm, loving, > empathetic parents to help them learn to regulate their > emotions. Respond sensitively to a child who is hurting or > expressing strong emotion, and share in their joy. > Read more > > > Use Nurturing Touch > Touch meets a baby's needs for physical contact, affection, > security, stimulation, and movement. Skin-to-skin contact is > especially effective, such as during breastfeeding, bathing, > or massage. Carrying or babywearing also meets this need > while on the go. Hugs, snuggling, back rubs, massage, and > physical play help meet this need in older children. > Read more > > > Ensure Safe Sleep, Physically and Emotionally > Babies and children have needs at night just as they do > during the day; from hunger, loneliness, and fear, to > feeling too hot or too cold. They rely on parents to soothe > them and help them regulate their intense emotions. Sleep > training techniques can have detrimental physiological and > psychological effects. Safe co-sleeping has benefits to both > babies and parents. > > Read more > > > Provide Consistent and Loving Care > Babies and young children have an intense need for the > physical presence of a consistent, loving, responsive > caregiver: ideally a parent. If it becomes necessary, choose > an alternate caregiver who has formed a bond with the child > and who cares for him in a way that strengthens the > attachment relationship. Keep schedules flexible, and > minimize stress and fear during short separations. > Read more > > > Practice Positive Discipline > Positive discipline helps a child develop a conscience > guided by his own internal discipline and compassion for > others. Discipline that is empathetic, loving, and > respectful strengthens the connection between parent and > child. Rather than reacting to behavior, discover the needs > leading to the behavior. Communicate and craft solutions > together while keeping everyone's dignity intact. > Read more > > > Strive for Balance in Personal and Family Life > It is easier to be emotionally responsive when you feel in > balance. Create a support network, set realistic goals, put > people before things, and don't be afraid to say "no". > Recognize individual needs within the family and meet them > to the greatest extent possible without compromising your > physical and emotional health. Be creative, have fun with > parenting, and take time to care for yourself. > > Kangaroo Mother Care: The Primal Parenting Style That Every > Baby Needs > > Review of Dr. Nils Bergman’s video, “Kangaroo Mother > Care: Restoring the Original Paradigm for Infant Care and > Breastfeeding.” > By Pat Törngren > I have been waiting for this tape for years! Like so many > other people in Primal Therapy, I have spent many years > recovering from my traumatic birth followed by many hours of > “routine” separation from my mother (abandonment > trauma). In addition to that I was made to lie alone in a > crib, night and day, except for “five minutes on each > side” breastfeeding every four hours for the first months > of life. A friend of mine, also going through similar baby > trauma, described it as his Heaven or Hell Syndrome—“I > am alone and in hell. Mommy comes and holds and feeds me and > I am in heaven. Mommy goes away again and I am in hell once > more.” > In the 1970s when many of us began reliving these traumas > in Primal Therapy, we were dismissed as cranks. We were told > that there was no way babies could have that much awareness. > Apparently, a baby’s place was in the newborn nursery, > while a new mother needed to be alone to get her sleep after > the hard work of labour. Still there were those of us > spending hours curled up in the foetal position, crying like > n e w b o rns, and feeling that if someone didn’t come and > love us soon, we wanted to die. We knew that what we were > being told was wrong. > It always puzzled me how we were going to convince people > that what we were experiencing was real. At the Primal > Institute, Arthur Janov and Michael Holden were studying > patients undergoing these primals, while the clients were > connected to monitors measuring vital signs. Janov and > Holden found huge changes in heart rate, blood pressure, > core body temperature and brainwave patterns before, during > and after these primals. It struck me then, that if we had > these measurable changes decades a f t e r undergoing these > traumas, surely babies must show some measurable signs of > stress during the experience itself. But what were they, and > how could they be measured so that h e a l t h c a re pro f > e s s i o n a l s would be convinced of the need to change > the t reatment that babies receive? Now—at last— we have > the tape to convince them! > Dr. Bergman, who previously worked at a mission hospital in > Zimbabwe, has been studying Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) for > more than twelve years. There were no incubators or other > technical apparatus at the hospital, and the only resources > that they had in the mission hospital were the mothers. Here > they found that premature babies placed on their mother’s > chest— who would have died in our modern hospital > incubators—survived and even thrived. On the tape Dr. > Bergman brings together not only his own observations and > theory, but also a summary of much of the related research > over the last decade or more. > The tape has impact in two areas: live filming of mothers > and babies; charts and diagrams showing the adverse effects > on h e a rt rate, breathing, oxygenation and body > temperature when babies are separated from their rightful > habitat—skin to skin on the mother’s chest. Bergman also > cites studies that found that when a mother and baby are > separated, the baby experiences an outpouring of stress > hormones that can reach dangerous levels—sufficient to > cause brain damage in some cases. > > Seeing the live footage is moving. I was entranced to watch > a newborn baby placed on its mother’s body arch it’s > back, push with its feet and finally find (using smell) > it’s own way to the mother’s breast—then successfully > latch on and nurse. Of great interest was the fact that the > baby grasped the nipple in its hand and put it into its own > mouth. (So that’s what the “grasp reflex” is for! Why > did it take us so long to figure it out?) > It was disturbing to watch a baby that had been lying > contentedly on its mother’s chest taken away and put in a > crib. The baby began crying desperately, in an attempt to > regain its mother. Dr. Bergman describes this as the “pro > t e s t / d e s p a i r ” response (the despair seems very > familiar to my own baby primals!). The purpose of this > crying is to bring the mother back, but when that fails, the > baby will stop crying out of exhaustion (I’ve primalled > that one too). He also says that the baby stops crying to > conserve energy—the body literally starts “shutting > down” in order to survive. This is of interest, as in > Primal Therapy, we refer to a person who has a lot of > repressed pain as being “shut down.” > Dr Bergman refers to the baby’s location as its > “habitat.” In whatever habitat it is, the baby will show > habitat-specific behaviour. He says that there are only two > possible habitats—“mother” and “other.” When the > baby is skin-to-skin with the mother, it is in the growth > mode and will feed and thrive. When it is away from her it > will show the protest/despair reaction, crying at first and > then giving up. At the same time it releases large amounts > of stress h o rmones and the body (including the digestive > tract) shuts down as the baby tries to survive. Babies, he > says, can be in only one of these two modes at a > time—thriving, or barely surviving. For those of us who > have been through Primal Therapy, we know subjectively what > the latter feels like to the baby. Separation anxiety, > loneliness and depression are some of the ways this is > carried over into adulthood. All this can be avoided if we > come to understand and meet the needs of newborn > and young babies (premature and full term), which is > Kangaroo Mother Care for the first months of life. > But why is Kangaroo Mother Care needed for full-term and > healthy infants as well as premature babies? Dr. Bergman > points out the evolutionary significance of the shift (made > by our early ancestors) from walking on four legs to walking > upright. This alteration meant that due to gravity, the > pelvis had to undergo significant physical changes. In order > to contain the contents of the abdomen, the pelvic outlet > had to become much more narrow. > As our early ancestors began to perfect the use of > handtools, their survival abilities, intelligence and brain > size increased too. With a larger head to contain the > growing brain size, the smaller pelvic birth opening meant > that the human foetus had to be born before it was fully > developed. Human babies are born more immature and helpless > than any other mammals—except the marsupials of Australia, > who are born even more immature than human babies, but are > cared for in the mother’s pouch till they reach maturity. > > Why is this particular tape so important? As a childbirth > educator, over the years I discovered that in spite of > teaching and lecturing endlessly about my own experience, it > was very hard, if not impossible, to get hospitals to change > their procedures. I believe there is a reason for this. Most > people go into denial when it comes to this subject. If they > are parents or p rofessionals, acknowledging these facts > will mean they have to face the possibility that they > unknowingly traumatized their own children or patients. Even > more threatening than that, they will be faced with opening > up the repressed trauma of their own infancy. For most > people, this is simply too painful to contemplate. It’s > easier to say that the old ways are fine—and to go on > doing them. > To counter the problem, the KMC tape is noncondemning and > the research is shown in an unemotional way. The fact that > mother/baby separation may cause life-long problems is > acknowledged, but mentioned only once at the end. As a > contrast, there are pictures of mothers with contented > newborns nursing at the breast, and smiles on the mother’s > faces— and the faces of staff too! The tone of the tape is > enthusiastic and encouraging, which makes it possible for > professionals to see this as a new and better way of doing > things rather than an opening of old wounds, and a laying of > guilt and blame for what was done in the past. > Our experience here in South Africa is that professionals > who have seen the tape are eager to share it with others, > and even use it to advocate for change in the policy of > their hospitals. If you want to really do something to make > the world a better place, buying a copy of this tape as a > gift for your local maternity hospital is a very good way to > start! > You will find ordering instructions for the tape at the KMC > site: www.kangaroomothercare.com, or you can write to Dr. > Nils Bergman at 8 Francis Road, Pinelands, 7441 South > Africa, or phone his wife Jill at South Africa 21 531 5918. > > > Pat Törngren lives in Cape Town, South Africa. She knows > Dr. Bergman and Marianne Littlejohn personally. Marianne, > whose article “Parenting for Peace” was printed in a > previous IPA Newsletter, is part of the KMC research team in > Cape Town. As a result of Dr. Bergman’s research, KMC is > now official policy in all state run hospitals in the > Western Cape Province.“Our experience here in South Africa > is that professionals who have seen the tape are eager to > share it with others.” > > This article appeared in the Spring 2005 IPA Newsletter. > > > > |
| 1,533 | 7:33 pm PDT, Jun 28 | Mrs. | Anonymous | my son was removed from me wrongley i was relocating from arizona back to california and i could not find affordable housing so a freind offered me a place for my son to stay until i found an apartment . I payed her three hundred dollars a month . imy son was reciving ssa for one thousand a month. my freinf called D.C.F.S. and made false allegations about me to gain custody of my son. without a shred of rvidence without proper investagation / with out a drug test they detained my son. two days later im in court and i meet with my attorney for five minutes and she asked a couple of questions . my problrm is im homeless . and she hands me a twenty page report to read and i dont see her again until im called in to court . all my allegations were striked or dimmised but one and that was my boyfreind punched my son in the nose . ib started talking in court saying this was not true . the guy they were talking about was not my boyfreind and he didnt punch my son in the nose . they took my baby from me and the horror my son and i lived for the next 3 years still causes me and my son alot of pain i wasd hurting so bad on the inside that i wanted to hurt my outside to stop the pain. |
| 1,532 | 9:36 am PDT, Jun 21 | Connie Nichols | Social workers are able to write anything in casenotes that benefits them. In addition, they are able to have as many present as they desire to conspire and present cases against families who love and protect their children. In private you might get them to admit that the system has wrongly substantiated a case against you. Lawyers or Gals can say whatever they want to protect themselves, judges and juvenile officers have the right to take children, make decisions based on heresay and reject the information presented by the children and family members involved in the case. | |
| 1,531 | 10:09 am PDT, Jun 19 | Ms. | Tina Conley | I have four kids who were stolen from me by the state of West Virginia one has returned home since she aged out last year two were adopted and one lost in the system I am signing this petition because it is wrong to take a persons children and just give them away because you have that power ... and no parent should be told to just move on and forget about the children.we need to stop illegal adoptions so no parent goes one day without their children |
| 1,530 | 8:44 am PDT, Jun 19 | millie smith | i want my god given rights to see my grandkids.my daughter was in and out of rehab my grandkids were living with me cps took them in 2001. they are my life they name me mamma millie from day one these kids stole my heart in court cps told there was only one bedroom we have 6 bedrooms that the one graandson had been locked in cabinet we have no locks on cabinet plus they are full was said dad had a gun.this man never had a gun just right out lies the foster parents came to court and they never knew my daughter why were they there the judge ask them if they wanted to adopt the two boys which they did.where does the dollar stop? thank you millie | |
| 1,529 | 4:57 am PDT, Jun 17 | Nina Hall | I had to put my 13 year old, Alisha, in voluntary foster care because she was stealing money from me, hitting me and her younger sister, and her temper was out of control. My 20 year old had to put 3 locks on her door to stop Alisha stealing. I had asked for support and respite care for 3 years but was ignored. 4 months ago, Alisha was accepted for voluntary foster care (as respite care was 'not available') but I am constantly accused of child abuse by social workers, etc. I am also threatened that my 12 year old will be taken by force. My parental rights are not taken into consideration- I am told I am not allowed any contact with Alisha at all. I have been diagnosed with a 'mental health disorder' but the social workers use this to their advantage. I am worried that they will somehow use this as an excuse to take my 12 year old. I have been wrongly accused and would not wish this on any other mother. | |
| 1,528 | 2:18 pm PDT, Jun 16 | Mrs. | Anonymous | My Ex-Husband has accused me of child abuse as retaliation for him being prosecuted for abusing my oldest son when he was 3. This lead to our divorce. Now that this criminal record may cost him his job and that fact that he cannot have a job in his chosen line of work he is using a Cival Protection Order to keep our boys away from me. Not much help in defending oneself even when court records show he was the abuser. I feel helpless to protect them now. |
| 1,527 | 10:36 am PDT, Jun 6 | Ms. | Michele Charisse Stewart | my close friend who is a wonderful mother, just lost her 3 month old son and is being unfairly charged with medical neglect. The autopsy report is not complete and no cause of death has been determined, yet CPS feels free to point the finger! |
| 1,526 | 4:50 am PDT, May 28 | Ms. | cassandra moodie | I completely agree with it! |
| 1,525 | 5:46 pm PDT, May 23 | Ms. | Chrystal Moore | CPS has put me under a "plan" to get my kid back but they didn't do anything until i threatened court well since they sat around and didn't do their work for like 6 months court scared them they wouldn't return phone calls e-mails or anything until i sent them an e-mail that said i was tired of waiting on them i was taking them to court....Don't let CPS take your kids without a court order |
| 1,524 | 10:51 am PDT, May 20 | Ms. | Pamela Rozier | I feel the need to be heard just like other mothers. My children where taken because I'm a single mother, with low income, with an abusive ex.The laws need to be changed the children deserve to be treated fairly and home with a mother who loves them and wants them. |
| 1,523 | 11:01 am PDT, May 19 | Elayne Giard | I also have lost custody of my children to an abusive exhusband. He also abused & neglected my children, and a Masschusetts Judge gave him sole & physical custody. | |
| 1,522 | 10:41 pm PDT, May 12 | Mr. | Christopher Alexander | To whom it may concern: Hi my name is Christopher Thomas Alexander and I have a problem you might be able to help me with. See my problem is with C.P.S they took my son in November for a bogus reason. The reason is because i am with Judy how has an open C.P.S case and how has Bi-polar. They say she is a threat but i do not see her as a threat and for that they say i am unfit to parent see they got a call in October about me leaving my son alone with her and we asked her case worker if that was a problem and he said no. See Judy has Three kids her first two kids where taken for what I see as bogus reasons and she relinquished her rights to her older daughters because she did not feel she could provide for them at that time and she thought she was doing the right thing as she was not stable enough to support them. Then a year after that case was closed she had her son and C.P.S removed him at the hospital for no reason when she was told she would be able to take him home but on the day of them going home C.P.S came in and took him. Then we met and started dating i have seen her with kids and do not see her as a threat as C.P.S does. I had a Safety plan approved with C.P.S that my parents would check on Judy and my son when I was at work but then my parents had to move to Kentucky to help take care of my Grandparents so me and my parents set up another safety plan where other people would check on Judy and my son when i was at work but C.P.S did not want th hear about it and removed him from my care saying I was unfit because i do not see Judy as a threat. now C.P.S is allowing my son to move to phoenix with them and i lose my visits with him that are everyday now they will be ever other weekend instead of returning him to me and just starting another safety plan because they say i will not follow it when i was following the first one. I have done everything they have asked no matter how stupid it sounded and they are doing this to me. I mean my son has lost his mother a year ago to complications to a double lung transplant in January 2008 and now they are taking his father to and saying that it is better for him this way and i do not see that way. I see this as ruining his life even further. If you can not help can you please forward this to people that can and run this in your paper because what is happening to me is ruining my life and my wifes life.Our youngest child was just born on Mother Day May 10th 2009 and now cps wants to take her too for more bogus reasons. PLEASE HELP ME I WANT MY KIDS BACK AND C.P.S OUT OF MY LIFE. Thank you, Christopher Thomas Alexander My number is (520)445-2582 if you have any questions. |
| 1,521 | 9:19 pm PDT, May 9 | Anonymous | I was FALSELY ACCUSED of child abuse. How can someone just call up a hotline and LIE? I'm sure God will punish them. We need to push to have our names REMOVED from the CPS database when they see we are INNOCENT. We are going to press charges against whoever FALSELY reported me, and sue for Slander, Libel and Defamation of Character. You all should do the same to get justice. The TRUTH shall come out.God knows. | |
| 1,520 | 8:58 am PDT, May 1 | Mrs. | Sheila costin | the state of wv. fairmont,marion county has taken my grandchildren and lied and faseified doc. to keep then. |
| 1,519 | 12:30 pm PDT, Apr 30 | Ms. | Cheryl Forest | My sons school called DCF claiming he was physically abused.My son is autistic,so making even harder.This is the 2nd time within 6 months.I was already preparing to have him removed from that school becuase of the lack of communication with this school.This is the first year in operation,and I am not alone,their are other parents having issues.This school staff is terrible.My advocate aiding with my sons education & staff problems dropped the ball on his case,now myself & son are suffering. |
| 1,518 | 11:39 am PDT, Apr 28 | Anonymous | Dcf took my kids from because my husband hit me in front of them. | |
| 1,517 | 2:28 pm PDT, Apr 27 | Ms. | Anonymous | I am currently being falsely accused of child neglect b/c my alcoholic neighbor called them. I have no idea what to expect and I'm very afraid of what will happen. I take great care of my two boys and the only thing I'm worried about is they are home alone for 1 1/2 hours after school before I get there. They are 10 and 7 and there is no minimum age requirement in Alabama. My kids are my life and the ONLY thing I will fight for. They are worried they are going to be taken away and this isn't fair when the person who reported me is a drunk that likes to check out teenagers and beat on his wife. How messed up that I'm the one being portrayed as a bad parent. |
| 1,516 | 10:14 am PDT, Apr 24 | Neki White | My daughter, on January 6th found her baby dead and called 911 a week later they arrest her and charge her with murder, no evidence, no autospy report, no murder weapon or anything. The baby was born premature they never looked at medical records today is 4/24/2009 and they saying the autospy report is not complete yet....that's weird. Meanwhile my daughter's one year old has been with dfacs since 1/7/2009 we keep going to court to get her but something not even revalants comes up.The last time we went my daughter's boyfriend came up with some boggish lie and stopped all proceding which I would have gotten my granddaughter right then but am still forecasted to get her just later than sooner. and here's the thing he failed his drug test like 4 times and I couldnt believe how they would believe anything he says. Here's what happen my daughter went to work as ususal the boyfriend kept the kids he picks her up from work around 5 they home around 530 takes the baby out of the car takes her out of carseat and takes her upstairs to finish sleeping. an hour and a half later he says he going to store my daughter goes upstairs to wake the baby up because she sleeping to long and that when she finds her dead at 950pm boyfriend not back from the store yet....they said the baby had blunt force trauma and then they said shaken baby they really dont know. I read the warrant signed by the judge and it states the probable cause is because the arresting detective believe and to the best of his knowlege that my daughter which i will leave name out for now murdered her baby. To the best of his knowledge and belief! Since when do we put people in jail based on that? We went to the prelimary hearing my husband and I and the detective lied under oath saying that my daughter told him she saw the baby alive @ 730 I begged my daughter's court appointed attorney to retrieve the tape that recorded the questioning by the detective and the attorney said not to worry about it because everybody lie....my mouth dropped is this justice no its not. | |
| 1,515 | 2:58 pm PDT, Apr 15 | Ms. | Cheryl Martone | My child was taken from me illegally through a heainous,traumatic trial, I did not have the opportunity to present witnesses or evidence. so I started a parent group in CT. They said I educationally neglected my child and I know I did not. I went to the Westbrook Middle School to make sure he was getting a good education and the Principal, Mr. House retaliated on me. he is a tyrant. I started a Parent group in CT. so that we can have a forum to meet and greet with one another. To unite and take a stand, the group is temporarily called: Concerned Parents about DCF/CPS. If you or a loved one has been falsely accused or wronged by DCF/CPS or the court system, please contact us for inforamtion, guidance and notices to meetings. In CT. email: ctparent@gmail.com outside CT. email: 1usparent@gmail.com I'm holding meetings around CT. you can contact me for places and dates. I also support these organizations in CT. Please come the vigil onthe flyer below: Save Our Kids Parental Alienation Foundation Invites you to attend our Annual CANDLE LIGHT VIGIL On the North steps of the State Capitol Hartford,Connecticut FOR PARENTAL ALIENATION AWARENESS DAY APRIL 25 TH 2009 THE BEST PARENT IS BOTH PARENTS For More Information contact organizers: Ken Krajewski at 860-881-6311 John DiBiase 203-464-8242 saveourkidsfirst@aol.com jdibiasejr@aol.com www.fatherwithoutchristmas.com www.divorcedmen.com TIME: 7:00 TO 9:00 P.M. PLACE: ON THE NORTH STEPS OF THE STATE CAPITOL For more information about P.A.S. contact Sarvy Emo at: sarvy@paawareness.org Phone: 416-840-5654 PAAO-US Parental Alienation Awareness Organization [ ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTING PARENTAL ALIENATION VIGIL ] THE CONNECTICUT CIVIL RIGHTS COUNCIL THE DIVORCED MEN'S ASSOCIATION OF CONNECTICUT THE CENTRAL CONNECTICUT DIVORCED EDUCATION CENTER |
| 1,514 | 9:32 pm PDT, Apr 8 | Nicole L | I have a son who has been taken from me and in few months he'll be put up for adoption and I need help .I have been falsely accused of child neglect and they took him away from me because of a mental illness claim.They say i don't understand his developement and before he was taken I had him for 22 months so that must prove something.DSS ganged up on me and treated me like I abused him . | |
| 1,513 | 6:58 am PDT, Apr 8 | Ms. | shannon sullivan | dcf must be stopped !!!! they have no business terrorizing families and then tearing them apart |
| 1,512 | 11:56 am PDT, Apr 7 | Mrs. | regenia hinkle | my husbqand was wrongfully accused and sentenced to a lesser charge due to no evidence. i want justice against the mother. she put this in the kids head. |
| 1,511 | 10:23 am PDT, Mar 27 | Mrs. | marian amos | I want to help everyone who has been falsely acussed off child abuse and neglect.. I am going through this... We all need justice... For the lies cps has held against us |
| 1,510 | 6:20 am PDT, Mar 27 | Ms. | melissa nordin | i have been unable to find someone to advise me regarding my mission to end an out of control situation . the chaos and futility of the current conditions have been continued by CPS, affiliates and now, my children's father. the situation began with CPS involvement and has now expanded from the issue with CPS to a custody battle with my ex- husband. I am a divorced mother of two children, 17 and 8. i have followed the guidelines of CPS'compliance requirements and safety plans they have layed out for me. MY progress; I am stable, making great progress and I am actually now grateful that I was able to receive the help that I did. However, I feel that the welfare of my children, the opportunity for a productive outcome and/or conclusion to the voluntary safety plan(now long since expired) that I originally agreed to commit to, the hope of my family recovering, and the reasonable and lawful amount of time to accomplish any productive or beneficial service, has been past, misdirected, mishandled, and/or at the very least, some very serious oversights have been ignored or neglected.These errors and inappropriate actions have affected my children's emotional stability and health and have given my ex-husband fuel to file a petition to modify custody against me. However, the majority of theinformation he is basing his case on was falsely relayed or exaggerated information by CPS. If there is one thing I know about myself and am proud of in my life, it is my love for my children. along with my commitment to continue to show to them to provide the best life I can for them. however, at this juncture, I truly know that is not the case and that CPS and their father have not provided living standards with CPS' own guidelines or definitions, much less mine. They have not given me any assurance to correct or address my dissatisfaction with their involvement, interference and impediment to me giving my children the attention and care that they are falsely accusing me of neglecting to provide. I feel that serious constitutional rights,federal laws and just simple common sense issues have been broken or ignored. It hurts me so much to see the damage done to my children. |
| 1,509 | 4:33 pm PDT, Mar 11 | sandra unknown | I am signing this because I can relate to these people. My son and his wife are in jail because the DCF abused their power. their children were not being abused. they have a child with lots of emotional problems due to her natural mother sexually abusing her and instead of trying to get them help for this child they just destroyed a whold family and the families around them. We don't have the money to fight them so I have no idea what will happen to my son and his wife. They don't deserve this. | |
| 1,508 | 4:59 pm PST, Mar 4 | Ms. | brandie rohr | I was falsely accused for child abuse and neglect. This town is corrupt and if I could find a lawyer to prove my innocents then I would sue and the lawyer that won the case could have every last cent all I want is for the state of West Virginia to be brought to justice. The only reason for these false allegations is that the grandmother wants. Custody of my daughter and is friends with the social workers and the Judge. We went to court and the grandmother got to keep my daughter against the rules and procedures of the Department. The grandmother has a felony for unlawful wounding and thats not right. There is a Major law suit here if someone has any info on a good lawyer that would come here they would get rich fast. We went to court and everything was thrown out but my 3 children still never got to come home to me. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP US. WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG AND. IF ANY INFO PLEASE CONTACT ME @ - 13046422355 PLEASE HELP ME. I miss my baby's my youngest is only 5 months old I don't want to miss out on anything in her life someone please help me. |
| 1,507 | 8:23 am PST, Mar 3 | Anonymous | I was charge with child abuse on my son. I fought as much as I could against DCF. I had the risk of taking the case to trial risking a minimum sentence of 2yrs in prison. I could not afford to fight the system due to me being a single parent with 2 kids. I was told by several different lawyers that to fight the case they would need a 10k retainer. I could not afford that, so I agreed to take a plea for a lesser charge. All this due to my ex-husband saying that I was abusing our son. I had both my children in counsiling. I was told from the counselor that my children were being "told" on what to say. But the courts did not want to hear this! But toushe, karma is WONDERFUL!!! (I am not condoning their action on their son, just on theirselves.) Last year, my ex and his wife had their own child taken from them for child abuse. They had to give up custody of their son, take parenting classes, and have to take anger management classes. Hmmmm... I have sworn to this day that I did not abuse my son. My son did not have any marks on his body what so ever from me. It just seems a little shady to me that when my children were at their dad's house they call the cops saying I abused them, but yet, DCF has proof etc. that they actually did abuse their own child. I have tried to get my charged dropped, but the judicial system in Florida is a complete joke! | |
| 1,506 | 8:53 pm PST, Mar 2 | Mrs. | amy coutu | DCF must be stopped, I am currently fighting DCF on false allegations because of them failing to give my adoptive children a mental eval before they went off the deep end, no its my fault |
| 1,505 | 4:49 pm PST, Mar 2 | Geri Musick | I am wanting to see a reform in the DCFS/CPS procedures. It is time to take action on agencies that are abusing children's rights for profit. http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/CHANGE_REFORM http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/Children-And-Family-Rights http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/Save-Our-Family | |
| 1,504 | 9:10 pm PST, Feb 27 | Paula Schneider | I was accused of child abuse (by a school emplyee who called social services) after my child went to school with a black eye she got while playing at a birthday party (even though there were 30 people at the party who saw what happened ,and my daughter told everyone what had happened). Social services should spend more time paying attention to the children they know are being abused and not the one who they know is not. Its a shame these poor children go unnoticed because someone is too busy chasing something they know will lead to nothing. Why do a full investigation including home search when you have 'no doubt in your mind that abuse did not occur'? It is a waste of our resouces and a child is REALLY being abused when you waste that time. | |
| 1,503 | 12:04 pm PST, Feb 25 | Ms. | Ms Wileman | Social services took my son away from me for domestic violence in the UK instead of giving my husband an exclusion order to keep my son at home with me. |
| 1,502 | 7:35 am PST, Feb 15 | Ms. | Angela Aery | I am signing this because my son was taking from me through a Oklahoma DHS case. |
| 1,501 | 7:28 am PST, Feb 15 | Ms. | lisa ann marie perry | save are kids cps has taken 4 from me |
HELP MOTHERS FALSELY ACCUSED OF CHILD ABUSE AND/OR NEGLECT HELP THEM PROTECT THEIR CHILDREN
We, the undersigned, are against child abuse and neglect and believe our children should be protected.
However, there are increased numbers of false allegations of abuse and/or neglect being lodged against good, fit, caring mothers and children are being unjustly removed from their custody and placed in the Foster Care system. Anyone with a grudge such as a bitter ex-spouse or an angry neighbor, can make a false allegation of abuse/neglect to Child Protective Services with no fear of reprisal under our current laws.
Single, low-income mothers are "soft targets" as they cannot afford to privately retain good legal representation to adequately defend them against these false allegations and are often legally underserved by public defenders. Homes are broken up, families destroyed, and children are placed in the foster care system where statistics indicate children are ten times more likely to be at risk of abuse than in their natural family homes.
There is an increase in abusive fathers who are using Child Protective Services as a weapon in child custody wars by lodging false allegations of abuse/neglect about their former spouses (victims) to Child Protective System in order to gain custody of the children to "punish" their former victims, to negate their financial obligations, and/or to coerce their former victims into returning to the batterer in order to be able to be with their children.
The social service agencies that take these children are corrupt and unjust in their dealings with families. Constitutional violations and denials of due process are common. There are financial incentives for taking the children into foster care for the state and children are being taken unjustly on false, or trivial and exaggerated allegations.
There are areas, in West Virginia as well as throughout the United States, where Domestic Violence and Abuse is still treated as a "dirty little secret" and/or is not acknowledged/treated with the seriousness it deserves. The presumption in West Virginia of "equal parenting" where each parent have an equal chance of gaining custody is harming women and children particularly in cases involving Domestic Violence and Abuse. Typically the Batterer earns far more than their former victims do, and can therefore afford much better legal representation which puts the victims at a very serious disadvantage from the start. Please see http://www.lundybancroft.com/pages/articles_sub/CUSTODY.htm UNDERSTANDING THE BATTERER IN CHILD CUSTODY AND VISITATION DISPUTES by R. Lundy Bancroft. Other extremely relevant articles involving these issues can be found on http://www.lundybancroft.com/pages/articles.html .
The children who are being unjustly, unnecessarily, and severely traumatized by being taken and placed in the foster care system and subjected to abuse again by being placed with their abusive fathers are not just someone else's problem. These children, if they survive, are our future, will be members of our society and will have an impact on our society, and we will have to deal with these children in the future.
Victims of Domestic Violence and Abuse may contact West Virginia Legal Services, if they become aware of that agency, only to find that legal representation will not be provided for issues involving custody, visitation, or child support.
An extremely good solution to some of these problems and for the protection of children is through PREVENTION. Clearly funding must be allocated to legal service agencies to provide good legal representation for low income persons for matters of child custody, visitation, and child support disputes, particularly in cases where Domestic Violence and Abuse are involved and extremely good legal services are a necessity for false allegations of child abuse/neglect.
Our social services agencies must begin to be held accountable, and the practice of violating low-income person's constutional rights and ignoring family preservation measures must end.
Please let us know how you can help us to protect our children.
Thank you.
However, there are increased numbers of false allegations of abuse and/or neglect being lodged against good, fit, caring mothers and children are being unjustly removed from their custody and placed in the Foster Care system. Anyone with a grudge such as a bitter ex-spouse or an angry neighbor, can make a false allegation of abuse/neglect to Child Protective Services with no fear of reprisal under our current laws.
Single, low-income mothers are "soft targets" as they cannot afford to privately retain good legal representation to adequately defend them against these false allegations and are often legally underserved by public defenders. Homes are broken up, families destroyed, and children are placed in the foster care system where statistics indicate children are ten times more likely to be at risk of abuse than in their natural family homes.
There is an increase in abusive fathers who are using Child Protective Services as a weapon in child custody wars by lodging false allegations of abuse/neglect about their former spouses (victims) to Child Protective System in order to gain custody of the children to "punish" their former victims, to negate their financial obligations, and/or to coerce their former victims into returning to the batterer in order to be able to be with their children.
The social service agencies that take these children are corrupt and unjust in their dealings with families. Constitutional violations and denials of due process are common. There are financial incentives for taking the children into foster care for the state and children are being taken unjustly on false, or trivial and exaggerated allegations.
There are areas, in West Virginia as well as throughout the United States, where Domestic Violence and Abuse is still treated as a "dirty little secret" and/or is not acknowledged/treated with the seriousness it deserves. The presumption in West Virginia of "equal parenting" where each parent have an equal chance of gaining custody is harming women and children particularly in cases involving Domestic Violence and Abuse. Typically the Batterer earns far more than their former victims do, and can therefore afford much better legal representation which puts the victims at a very serious disadvantage from the start. Please see http://www.lundybancroft.com/pages/articles_sub/CUSTODY.htm UNDERSTANDING THE BATTERER IN CHILD CUSTODY AND VISITATION DISPUTES by R. Lundy Bancroft. Other extremely relevant articles involving these issues can be found on http://www.lundybancroft.com/pages/articles.html .
The children who are being unjustly, unnecessarily, and severely traumatized by being taken and placed in the foster care system and subjected to abuse again by being placed with their abusive fathers are not just someone else's problem. These children, if they survive, are our future, will be members of our society and will have an impact on our society, and we will have to deal with these children in the future.
Victims of Domestic Violence and Abuse may contact West Virginia Legal Services, if they become aware of that agency, only to find that legal representation will not be provided for issues involving custody, visitation, or child support.
An extremely good solution to some of these problems and for the protection of children is through PREVENTION. Clearly funding must be allocated to legal service agencies to provide good legal representation for low income persons for matters of child custody, visitation, and child support disputes, particularly in cases where Domestic Violence and Abuse are involved and extremely good legal services are a necessity for false allegations of child abuse/neglect.
Our social services agencies must begin to be held accountable, and the practice of violating low-income person's constutional rights and ignoring family preservation measures must end.
Please let us know how you can help us to protect our children.
Thank you.
Note: This HELP MOTHERS FALSELY ACCUSED OF CHILD ABUSE AND/OR NEGLECT HELP THEM PROTECT THEIR CHILDREN petition was submitted by Christina Amtower. ThePetitionSite.com is a free service provided to help concerned citizens rally support for issues they believe in. The opinions expressed by this petition do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of ThePetitionSite.com or Care2.com. There is no express or implied endorsement of this petition nor any newsletter offers (except those from Care2.com) by Care2.com, Inc, ThePetitionSite.com, or our sponsors. If you believe this system is being abused, please contact customer support.
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