2 politicians seek answers from DHS over abortion-pressure allegations

2 politicians seek answers from DHS over abortion-pressure allegations

By REGINA MEDINA
Philadelphia Daily News
medinar@phillynews.com 215-854-5985

NOTE: THIS STORY HAS BEEN CORRECTED.

Two Philadelphia-area politicians want the city's Department of Human Services to answer some questions following allegations published this week in the Daily News that a caseworker pressured a teen in foster care into having an abortion.

The day the story appeared, Concilio, the provider agency contracted with DHS, removed the teen and three other children from the home of the foster mother, who spoke out about the case.

“Equally troubling is the notion that the DHS would engage in retaliatory behavior by removing the remaining children in the foster parent’s care because of her willingness to disclose unethical practices of the agency,” state Sen. LeAnna Washington wrote in a letter sent to DHS Commissioner Anne Marie Ambrose. Washington’s district covers parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County.

Washington, a Democrat, chairwoman of the Senate Aging & Youth Committee, said she plans to investigate the allegations, first published Monday.

"I remained both troubled and concerned that the allegations may prove accurate and of the possibility that an investigation may reveal a systemic practice by DHS of forcing children into unwanted abortions," Washington wrote.

During a City Council meeting yesterday, Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell called for hearings before the Committee on Public Health and Human Services to look into DHS' policies concerning adoption and foster care.

DHS spokeswoman Alicia Taylor declined to comment on the hearing or investigation.

"We need to talk about DHS," Blackwell said, noting that constituents who visit her office with DHS stories tell her staffers that they feel "threatened" by the agency. "This isn't the first time where people don't know what's happening [with the agency]. We would ask the parents or people who heard of these cases to testify."

She said she expects the hearings to begin at the end of next week.

The teen's birth mother, Deborah M., said last night that she still hadn't been notified by DHS officials that her daughter had been removed from her foster home.

DHS policy, Taylor said, directs the agency to notify a birth parent "within one working day" of removal. A reporter informed Deborah M. on Tuesday that her daughter had been removed.

She said she'd spoken with her daughter on Tuesday but still didn't have the details of her whereabouts.


CORRECTION:

In Friday’s story about investigations into recent actions by the Department of Human Services, the Daily News incorrectly quoted paraphrased information in a press release issued by state Sen. LeAnna Washington. Her correct quote in a letter to DHS Commissioner Anne Marie Ambrose is: “Equally troubling is the notion that the DHS would engage in retaliatory behavior by removing the remaining children in the foster parent’s care because of her willingness to disclose unethical practices of the agency."

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20100507_2_politicians_seek_answers_from_DHS_over_abortion-pressure_allegations.html