Lax oversight of foster care agencies allows child abuse to continue

Lax oversight of foster care agencies allows child abuse to continue - JSOnline:

story in the Los Angeles Times over the weekend revealed that a troubled foster care provider had stayed in business despite a scathing report a decade ago. More children entrusted to the agency had been harmed, and officials continued to raise questions about its financial practices.

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Dr. Manny: Are Child Protective Services broken in this country?

Dr. Manny: Are Child Protective Services broken in this country? | Fox News:

A recent report about a young Russian couple who took their 5-month-old son for a second medical opinion and ultimately ended up losing custody of the child has me very concerned about the way Child Protective Services (CPS) functions in this country.

Read more: 

Dangerous Meds for Children Constitute Medicaid Fraud

Dangerous Meds for Children Constitute Medicaid Fraud | newjerseynewsroom.com:

The administration of psychotropic medication to school children continues on a massive scale. A recent cable television interview of a young man who took Ritalin against his will provided an example of the dangerous result of the involuntary administration of such a drug. The young man indicated that the drug “nearly ruined my life”. He discontinued the medication as a young teen and warns families about the side effects of such drugs.

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United States Supreme Court Parental Rights CaseLaw

United States Supreme Court Parental Rights CaseLaw | How Child Protection Services Buys and Sells Our Children:

In the early 1920s, the United States Supreme Court first reviewed the rights, liberties and obligations of parents to direct the upbringing of their children. Two important decisions,Meyer v. Nebraska and Pierce v. Society of Sisters, established a legacy which was followed by a series of decisions holding that parenting is a fundamental constitutional right, and among “the basic civil rights of man.”Choices about marriage, family life, and the upbringing of children are among those rights the Court has ranked as “of basic importance in our society,” and as sheltered by the 14th Amendment against the State’s unwarranted usurpation, disregard, or disrespect.

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Saturday, April 27, 2013

Advocates Warn of Increasing Numbers of Problems in the Yolo County Family Court System

Advocates Warn of Increasing Numbers of Problems in the Yolo County Family Court System:

This Weekend's Child Sexual Abuse Conference in Davis Focuses on Courts Endangering Children's Safety - 

Over the course of the last several years, theVanguard has received a number of complaints about the Yolo County Family Court system, where the complainants allege that local judges have put young children into homes of known sex offenders or otherwise have endangered their welfare.
According to these complaints, the Yolo County Family Court does not consistently ensure the physical and sexual safety of children in custody, nor make good visitation decisions.

Read More:

'Cruelly deceived' father who only learned he had a son when he was four is banned by courts from seeing him

'Cruelly deceived' father who only learned he had a son when he was four is banned by courts from seeing him | Mail Online:

'Cruelly deceived' father who only learned he had a son when he was four is banned by courts from seeing him after he was adopted


Found he was boy's father aged four after DNA test
Father's sister spotted photo and family resemblance
Youngster known as 'C' was conceived during affair
Boy taken from mother by social services at 3 days
Placed in 2010 with adopters who will now keep him

Read more:

Sacramento couple fights to get their baby boy back from authorities

Sacramento couple fights to get their baby boy back from authorities | news10.net:

SACRAMENTO, CA - A Sacramento family was torn apart after a 5-month-old baby boy was taken from his parents following a visit to the doctor.The young couple thought their problems were behind them after their son had a scare at the hospital, but once they got home their problems got even worse.

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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Penalties for Falsely Reporting Child Abuse

Child Abuse Defense News by David S. Marshall:


The Jerry Sandusky criminal trial is over; the civil lawsuits are in active settlement mode. Undoubtedly,
the entire country is more attuned to child abuse than ever before. The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that about 105 bills on reporting suspected child abuse and neglect were introduced in 2012 legislative sessions in 30 states and the District of Columbia.1
 All of them include a penalty for failing to report suspected child abuse.

Read More:

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

At first glance, this Civil Matter looks like...

Legally Accessible - Not so much: At first glance, this Civil Matter looks like...:

A cat fight between Denise-Marie McIntosh, part of the 1st wives club and Lori Ayotte-(Wilson)-McIntosh, et al (et al means and others) wife number 2, this couldn't be further from the truth in this matter. As such, you have to wonder why the Court chose those names when it was filed as Denise-Marie McIntosh v. State of NH DHHS/DCYF et al. 

This Case is about why the US-gets-an-f-in-child-welfare-and-an-a-in-military-spending, because it is against and about how the State of NH DHHS/DCYF fails federal and state CFSR's; a child/family therapist who lied to the Court's, specifically Dr. Susan Vonderheide, and the father, William P. McIntosh, who paid Dr. Vonderheide and lied to the Court's to gain custody and lead a young child to believe that his fit mother, willing only wanted to see him in supervised therapy. Visitation ultimately left to the discretion of William McIntosh and Vonderheide. 


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Burton foster parent faces additional child pornography possession charges

Burton foster parent faces additional child pornography possession charges | MLive.com:

BURTON, MI -- A Burton foster parent accused in a child pornography case is facing a dozen more serious charges that prosecutors filed against him.

N.J. slowly recouping money auditor said was questionably spent on foster care contracts

N.J. slowly recouping money auditor said was questionably spent on foster care contracts | NJ.com:

TRENTON — Following the advice of a blistering audit, the Department of Children and Families has started to recoup some of the $12.2 million in state funds that foster home recruitment agencies either never used or paid for “unallowable” perks such as parties and bonuses.

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Texas bill would create statewide standards for specialty courts

Texas bill would create statewide standards for specialty courts - KFDA - NewsChannel 10 / Amarillo News, Weather, Sports:


Amarillo, TX - Some Texas courts may soon have to meet higher standards to qualify for state funding.
Specialty courts, like family courts and drug courts, are generally known as cheaper and more effective alternatives to incarceration.  Now a new proposal calls on those courts to prove their worth in state funding.
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Florida bill modernizes divorce through capped alimony, equal custody

Florida bill modernizes divorce through capped alimony, equal custody | WUFT News:


Florida divorce laws may undergo major changes regarding alimony, child support and child custody now that lawmakers have passed Senate Bill 718.
The proposed bill will put a cap on the amount of alimony, or ex-spousal payment, someone can receive based on the length of the marriage and the ex-spouse’s income.
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Great-grandparents blame custody laws for child's death

Great-grandparents blame custody laws for child's death - KPTV - FOX 12:

LONGVIEW, WA (KPTV) -
Six people received organs from Noah Waite-Brown.
His great-grandparents hope the 8-year-old will have another legacy. They plan to tell his story to legislators in an effort to change laws that do not currently grant grandparents rights to custody or visitation.
Read More:

Surrogacy gives two women two outcomes: one a gift and one a disaster

Surrogacy gives two women two outcomes: one a gift and one a disaster | Deseret News:

Suzanne Rico can hold her child as she writes the story of the woman who carried her baby for her. But there's also a potentially dark side to surrogacy as unscrupulous women make promises and literally fail to deliver.

Read More:

Monday, April 22, 2013

Gosnell Trial Witness: Baby Abortion Survivor Was 'Swimming' in Toilet 'Trying to Get Out'

Gosnell Trial Witness: Baby Abortion Survivor Was 'Swimming' in Toilet 'Trying to Get Out' | CNS News:

gosnell
Dr. Kermit Gosnell, charged with 7 counts of first-degree murder, killing babies reportedly born alive at his abortion office in West Philadelphia, Pa. (AP)
CNSNews.com) – On the last day of testimony before the prosecution rests in the murder trial of abortionist Kermit Gosnell, a former worker at Gosnell's clinic testified that she saw one late-term baby who survived an abortion "swimming" in a toilet and "trying to get out."
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Parental Alienation Awareness Day is April 25th

Parental Alienation Awareness Day is April 25th

Though Judges in the Family Court System say there is no such thing as Parental Alienation, try telling that to the many families and their children who have suffered and are suffering because of Parental Alienation. If Judges won't consider Parental Alienation to be a legal term, should we just call it Stockholm Syndrome, because that's exactly what it is? There's no way a Judge can state there's no such thing as Stockholm Syndrome. It's already on the book's. People are brainwashed by their captor's/Children are brainwashed by their custodial parent's. Not ALL parent's, but way too many.

Not only are Mother's and Father's guilty of alienating their children against the non-custodial parent, CPS/DCYF is just as guilty, if not more so. They are also guilty of alienating children against their parent's along with alienating parent against parent. Forcing parent's into splitting up by threatening neither parent will ever see their children again. I'm sure the number of divorces has risen drastically since this rogue Govt. agency has been given the power to do whatever they want where families with children are concerned. 

Please help bring awareness of Parental Alienation on April 25th and show the world that Parental Alienation DOES exist and happen's more often than Family Court Judges would like to admit.
Parent's who alienate their children against the other parent are not doing their children any favor's. All they are doing is harming their children. The children will never forget the hell they've endured thank's to the alienating parent. All you're doing is teaching them how to hate and one day YOU will be the one they turn against and hate. Children NEED both parent's!

Doctor Loses License: Severed Baby's Limb in Botched Abortion

Doctor Loses License: Severed Baby's Limb in Botched Abortion | LifeNews.com:

The Florida Board of Medicine took action to suspend the medical license of late-term abortionist James Scott Pendergraft, IV on Friday after he failed to pay the Board fines from a previous disciplinary action that totaled over $120,000.

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Indian homes for Indian children: At Spirit Lake, challenge can be to keep children safe - and Indian

Indian homes for Indian children: At Spirit Lake, challenge can be to keep children safe - and Indian | The Dickinson Press | Dickinson, North Dakota:

GRAND FORKS — On a Spirit Lake reservation torn by factional infighting, the leader of an American Indian advocacy group arrives to find 25 percent of all Dakota Indian children living in foster care with white families.

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Children & The State: Foster Care in America

Children & The State: Foster Care in America | Washington Times Communities:

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2013 — Foster care is never an ideal situation for any child. Many factors contribute to children not remaining with their parents. Drug and alcohol abuse, AIDS, mental and physical illness, neglect, domestic violence, physical abuse, abandonment, incarceration, and homelessness are amongst some of the factors which can contribute to a child’s placement in the foster care system.
 

Note: Not to mention False allegations of abuse and neglect.

Read more:

Divorce: following the money

Divorce: following the money | Opinion | The Lawyer:

Supreme Court ruling could see family courts allowed to pierce the corporate veil in divorce battles.

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Parents Increasingly Turning to Federal Courts for Civil Rights Protections

Parents Increasingly Turning to Federal Courts for Civil Rights Protections | GroundReport:

Imagine you are in a divorce.  You’ve been a dedicated parent and you aren’t a convicted felon or being accused of a crime.  Now imagine walking into a local court for a procedural hearing and in a single decree your children are banned from seeing you, speaking to you or communicating in any way based solely on hearsay and allegation.  Nothing’s been proven, no due process has occurred to prove anything yet a capricious judge has made a snap decision that changes the rest of your life and your children’s.   What would you do?

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Breach of Oath of Office | New Hampshire Redress: Part 1, Article 31

Breach of Oath of Office | New Hampshire Redress: Part 1, Article 31:


“Stand Your Ground”

Against 189 New Hampshire State Representatives

That Voted To Diminish Your Right To Self Defense

Please get familiar with how this affects you, your family and your loved ones;
Read this Instructional Summary
WHY: ATTEMPTED Burglary
Summary of the ”Stand Your Ground” Violation of Oath of Office Petition
 

~        ~        ~

Petitioners by County as of April 16th

Belknap 24,  Carrol 19, Coos 0, Cheshire 25,
Grafton 25, Hillsborough 102, Merrimack 69,
Rockingham 97, Strafford 36, Sullivan 9

~       ~       ~

 

 Sign the online Petition

http://redress.24geek.com/

Read More at:http://nhredress.wordpress.com/oath-of-office-violations-against-rights/

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Theresa Allen-Grandchildren Kidnapped by CPS




Uploaded on Apr 18, 2013
In August of 2009, Theresa Allen contacted CPS to protect her grandchildren from the unsafe and illegal environment to which they had been exposed when visiting their mother's home. When the caseworker missed the deadline for investigating the case, CPS took the law into their own hands and told Theresa, "You will never see your grandchildren again."

On December 4th of 2009, a CPS caseworker forced her way into Theresa Allen's home and removed Theresa's grandchildren without accusation and without court order to protect her position after missing the investigation deadline for Theresa's case. Theresa called the CPS Program Director in a desperate attempt to discover what was going on, and was informed that pulling rank in CPS was not acceptable, and that they were about to "show her what happens" when people cross the department of Child Protective Services.

Magic Potions For Children

Magic Potions For Children | INVISIBLE CHILDREN:

We live at a time where five year old children are forced to take psychotropic medications and the promise that big pharma can cure anything from sexual dysfunction to better grades.  Having grown up in the 60′s/70′s and experienced my own illegal drug use I’m somewhat attuned to the disparity that exists between 9 year old’s on Ritalin and 29 year old’s on cocaine.
Ritalin is a Cocaine derivative and was banned in Sweden because of the suicides (in 1968).  I’ve written about the 7 year old foster child who hung himself and left a note decrying how he was being forced to live on Prozac.  I speak here of Ritalin and Prozac as metaphor for all psychotropics used on children.  Instead of enhancing our coping skills, these drugs make us zombies and put us at the mercy of a host of side effects and the very real experience of hopelessness.
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A Different War On Drugs (fought by children)

A Different War On Drugs (fought by children) | INVISIBLE CHILDREN:

Every day between six to eight million children take psychotropic medications – about 10% of all U.S. children.
This compares to 1.2% in Israel, 1.4% in Germany, and .3% in the UK.   My concern is mostly the giant percentage of foster care children being forced to take these drugs.
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Some judges discouraging public from observing Family Courts

Some judges discouraging public from observing Family Courts - NYPOST.com:


It’s as transparent as a closed door.
In December 2011, one of New York’s top judicial officials demanded Family Courts remain open to the public — but in the past month, Manhattan judges have begun posting “Do not enter” signs on their courtroom doors.
At least five judges and referees out of 18 have affixed signs to their doors with a red stop sign reading, “Court Personnel Only.”
Open courtrooms serve as a check on government, and Edwina Richardson-Mendelson, the administrative judge of city Family Courts, was so troubled by a pattern of court officers flouting the open-courts rule that she ordered a review in 2011.
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House Backs Bill on Psychotropic Drugs for Foster Kids

House Backs Bill on Psychotropic Drugs for Foster Kids | The Texas Tribune:


The Texas House approved legislation Thursday on a voice vote that would require the guardians of foster children to give informed consent before a foster child could be put on psychotropic drugs.  
"The testimony by children coming out of foster care was tremendously moving. This is a very bipartisan approach to how we treat children in foster care," said state Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, the author of House Bill 915. "The first response shouldn't be to just put them on meds."
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CBO | Snapshot of Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, and Guardianship Assistance

CBO | Snapshot of Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, and Guardianship Assistance:

Note: Instead of wasting billions of dollars on Foster care, Adoption Assistance and Guardian Assistance, wouldn't it make more sense to put the money where it's most needed? FAMILIES and their children would benefit more by providing services to at-risk Families and Family Preservation. Why is it Biological Families get no help, while the chosen get everything served on a silver platter?


Over the past two decades, the federal government has encouraged states to move more children from foster care to permanent homes through adoption or guardianship. During that time, the number of children in federally subsidized foster care has steadily declined, while the number of children whose adoptive parents receive federal adoption assistance has increased. (That pattern is similar for children in foster care and adoption placements that are subsidized only at the state level.) CBO expects those trends to continue, aided by recent legislation that established federal reimbursements for guardianship and eliminated the income-eligibility threshold for federal adoption assistance. In fiscal year 2013, the federal government will spend a total of almost $7 billion on foster care, adoption assistance, and guardianship assistance programs, CBO estimates. The changes in caseloads for the three programs that CBO expects under current law would raise such spending to $8.5 billion by 2023.
Average Monthly Feeral Caseloads for Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, and Guardianship Assistance
For more detail on CBO's most recent projections for foster care, adoption assistance, and guardianship assistance programs, see Foster Care and Adoption Assistance—February 2013 Baseline.
Jonathan Morancy is an analyst in CBO’s Budget Analysis Division.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Failure to Promote Relationship With Other Parent Leads to Loss of Child Custody in Nashville: In re Zamorah B.

Failure to Promote Relationship With Other Parent Leads to Loss of Child Custody in Nashville: In re Zamorah B. | Herston on Tennessee Family Law | Knoxville Divorce, Child Custody, Child Support, Alimony and Matrimonial Law Attorney:

Facts: Child was born to unmarried Mother and Father. Father filed a Petition to Establish Paternity in which he asserted that he had voluntarily supported Child and had emotionally bonded with her, but that Mother decided two months after Child’s birth to eliminate him from her life. Shortly thereafter, Mother filed a Petition to Establish Parentage.

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Speak Up! - Guest Marie Miller Second interview-Screwed Over by the NH Courts




Published on Apr 17, 2013
New evidence considered frivolous motion? Seniors evicted because Judges switch ' keep your "Eye on the pee ?/ Evidence" Mortgage company forces Senior to take their deficient mortgage Insurance after they "purchase" her Mortgage, driving her monthly payment up . They tell her to refinance with them , they collect 4 payments and then send the checks back with an eviction notice. NH Judges say no foul. her house gets sold and the "new Owner"puts rat poison on lawn to kill her Cats to drive her out of the house.

Significant Increase in ER Visits Involving ADHD Medications

Significant Increase in ER Visits Involving ADHD Medications:

The increase in visits to emergency departments was largely driven by abuse of ADHD drugs among adults and nonmedical use of the drugs.

Approximately two-thirds of children with ADHD between the ages of 4 and 17 took medication to treat ADHD in 2007. In children (as well as adults), the first-line treatment for ADHD are stimulants, and adverse events associated with these medications, such as nervousness, insomnia, and dizziness, are common and usually manageable. Cardiovascular or psychiatric problems can be more serious and may send patients to the nearest emergency department. Since prescription stimulants are often abused, ADHD patients are not the only ones seeking emergency treatment pursuant to stimulant use. - 
See more at: http://www.pharmacytimes.com/news/Significant-Increase-in-ER-Visits-Involving-ADHD-Medications

Oklahoma woman recalls horrors of child welfare system at 30th anniversary of Institute for Child Advocacy

Oklahoma woman recalls horrors of child welfare system at 30th anniversary of Institute for Child Advocacy | News OK:

She once was kept in an underground cell for more than two weeks. Another time while she was confined there, she heard the cries of a deaf girl as she was physically and sexually assaulted by male workers and guards.

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US Gets an 'F' In Child Welfare and an 'A' In Military Spending

US Gets an 'F' In Child Welfare and an 'A' In Military Spending | Care2 Causes:

This just in: a UNICEF survey of 29 countries entitled “Child Well-Being In Rich Countries: A Comparative Review,” ranks the U.S #26 in child well-being, just above Lithuania, Latvia and Romania (three of the poorest countries in the survey).
The survey evaluated material well-being, overall health, access to housing and education in 29 of the world’s advanced economies to determine how well children are faring, and also examined what children are saying about their own well-being.
Read more: 

Foster Mom Found Guilty of Burning Child

Foster Mom Found Guilty of Burning Child | WPRI.com:

4-year-old was burned with straightening iron

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) -- A former foster mother was convicted of burning a young boy’s arms with a hair straightening iron in Superior Court on Wednesday.

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Tavares Parent and Adoptive parent arrested for not letting child eat

Tavares parents arrested for not letting child eat:

A couple is arrested, accused of forcing their daughter to starve.
The 11-year-old Lake County girl only weighed 40 pounds and told investigators her parents went so far as to lock the refrigerator and pantry to keep her from eating.
Read More:

When Is an Indian Parent a 'Parent'?

When Is an Indian Parent a 'Parent'? - Garrett Epps - The Atlantic:

Emotions crackle as the justices take on a contested child custody case involving the Cherokee Nation.

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Supreme Court hears custody dispute over adopted girl

Supreme Court hears custody dispute over adopted girl - latimes.com:

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court was asked Tuesday to decide who should raise a 3 1/2-year-old girl who was given up by her single mother: the South Carolina couple who adopted her at birth or her biological father, who invoked his rights as a Cherokee Indian to claim his child.

My Opinion: Biological parent's should ALWAYS trump the rights of Adopters and Foster strangers!

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Deputies: Men gave foster care girls drugs, had sex with them

Deputies: Men gave foster care girls drugs, had sex with them:

"Protected by the State"? NO!

Winterhaven-Two men were arrested for sexual battery after deputies said they gave drugs and alcohol to a pair of teenage girls and had sex with them.
Eventz Veillard, 26, and Stenley Fritz Aristil, 35, picked up three girls from a state foster-care home in Davenport on April 11, according to reports.
Read More:

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Maine Voices: Foster care system repeating old mistakes

Maine Voices: Foster care system repeating old mistakes | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram:


Continuing to offer financial incentives to take kids into care undercuts efforts to keep children with their birth families.

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POLITICS: Falls MPP Kim Craitor re-introduces grandparents’ rights bill

POLITICS: Falls MPP Kim Craitor re-introduces grandparents’ rights bill | Bullet News Niagara | Niagara Falls, Welland, Thorold, St Catharines, Fort ErieBullet News Niagara | Niagara Falls, Welland, Thorold, St Catharines, Fort Erie:


Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor can’t be accused of being someone who gives up easily.His private members’ bill aimed at giving grandparents’ enhanced rights when it comes to child custody disputes is a perfect example.
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Grandparents treated 'shockingly'

Grandparents treated 'shockingly': Coodanup woman - inMyCommunity - Perth, Western Australia:

IT is scandalous the way some grandparents are treated, according to Coodanup woman Anita Battenfeld.

Read More:

Baby Veronica and Native American Family Values

Baby Veronica and Native American Family Values - ICTMN.com:

The mainstream media has continued to make repeated factual errors when reporting on the high profile Supreme Court custody case involving a Native American father and his daughter. The latest are today’sWashington PostandNew York Timeseditorial board opinions ofAdoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, being heard today by the Supreme Court. The misrepresentations are significant, one sided, and a direct affront to Native American family values.
Read more athttp://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/04/16/baby-veronica-and-native-american-family-values

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Bill mandating paternity tests in all custody cases stalls in committee

Bill mandating paternity tests in all custody cases stalls in committee | NOLA.com:

The House Civil Law and Procedure Committee temporarily shelved a bill Tuesday that would require the state to perform paternity tests before ordering fathers to pay child support.

Read More:

Supreme Court Hears Native American Custody Case for Child



A child custody case -- normally the purview of lower courts -- reached the Supreme Court. At question was whether a law intended to protect Native American families can override other legal jurisdictions. Ray Suarez talks with the National Law Journal's Marcia Coyle about the adoption of a toddler known as "Baby Veronica."

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Dakotas tribe holding hearings on foster care

Dakotas tribe holding hearings on foster care | The Daily Republic | Mitchell, South Dakota:

SIOUX FALLS (AP) — The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is hosting two hearings about Native Americans in the foster care system ahead of a planned summit next month.

Read More:

Supreme Court to hear child custody fight; at crux is law on tribal rights

Supreme Court to hear child custody fight; at crux is law on tribal rights - CSMonitor.com:

US Supreme Court on Tuesday hears an appeal of an adoptive couple seeking the return of the girl they raised for two years. The child now lives with her father, a member of the Cherokee Nation, per order of a lower court. (where she belongs!)

Read More:

Parental Alienation Syndrome : Symptoms and Warnings

Parental Alienation Syndrome : Symptoms and Warnings « The Nacol Law Firm PC:

Parental Alienation Syndrome is the systematic denigration by one parent with the intent of alienating the child against the target parent. In most cases, the purpose of the alienation is to gain custody of the child and exclude involvement by the target parent. In other cases the alienator wants the target parent out of the way to start a new life, or the alienating parent wants more of the marital money and assets than he/she is entitled to and uses the child as a pawn. The alienating parent hates the target parent and the children become false weapons. These are just a few reasons Parental Alienation occurs in domestic disputes.

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Report: Child Welfare Investment Could Slow 'Prison Pipeline'

Report: Child Welfare Investment Could Slow 'Prison Pipeline':

Investment in child welfare systems and abuse prevention can help keep children out of the so-called “prison pipeline,” according to a new report from the non-profit Justice Policy Institute.

Read More:

Social worker pleads guilty in NC child's death

The Associated Press: Social worker pleads guilty in NC child's death:

BRYSON CITY, N.C. (AP) — A county social service worker in North Carolina admitted Monday to ordering that records be faked during the probe of a child's death, and she's agreed to cooperate with authorities who are continuing to investigate her co-workers.

Read More:

Melissa Harris-Perry Hates Parental Rights - Baby LK Report For April 14,2013




Melissa Harris-Perry Hates Parental Rights - Baby LK Report For April 14th 2013 For these stories and all the latest dirt on the child protective industry visit http://www.LegallyKidnapped.blogspot.com

The Foster Molesters - Volume 1




These are just a handful of the many sicko's that Legally Kidnapped reports on daily. For more information on the dangers of the Child Welfare System visit http://www.LegallyKidnapped.blogspot.com
------

Sunday, April 14, 2013

10 Things You Didn't Know about Lupus & Pregnancy

10 Things You Didn't Know about Lupus & Pregnancy - Hospital for Special Surgery, New York:


Top Ten Points to Optimize the Outcome

Aeshita Pearl Dwivedi, MDResearch Volunteer, Mary Kirkland Center for Lupus Care, Hospital for Special Surgery

Doruk Erkan, MD

Associate Attending Rheumatologist, Hospital for Special Surgery
Associate Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College
Associate Physician-Scientist, Barbara Volcker Center for Women and Rheumatic Disease


1. Is it possible for lupus patients to have a successful pregnancy?
Many lupus patients can have a successful pregnancy. To increase your chance of a successful pregnancy, it is essential to seek advice regarding the right time to conceive and to educate yourself about ways in which you can optimize the pregnancy outcomes.
Lupus patients are more likely to develop pregnancy complications compared to the general population. Thus, it is important to consult your rheumatologist and an obstetrician experienced in managing high-risk pregnancies prior to becoming pregnant. Additionally, you should plan your delivery at a hospital that has a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit as well as other advanced facilities to provide the specialized care that you and your baby may require.
Apart from the medical aspects, it is also important that you discuss your pregnancy plans with your partner or close family members. Pregnancy and a newborn often demand changes in your personal and professional life; seeking timely support from family and friends makes it easier to cope with these changes.

2. When is it the right time to conceive and what should you do after becoming pregnant?
The right time to conceive is when the lupus disease activity is fully under control and you are in your best health. The healthier you are before your pregnancy, the greater are your chances of having a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. It is strongly recommended that you avoid pregnancy until at least six months after the lupus disease activity, especially kidney disease, has been completely brought under control.[1] Pregnancy places an added burden on your kidneys and active kidney disease can even lead to pregnancy loss.
After your pregnancy test is positive, you should visit your rheumatologist and obstetrician at your soonest possible convenience. The purpose of these visits is to assess the state of your health and lupus disease activity by means of a complete physical examination and blood tests.

3. Can pregnancy lead to the worsening of lupus?
Although the risk of a lupus flare is not increased in pregnant women when compared to non-pregnant women, lupus flares can occur during pregnancy or immediately following delivery.[2] Fortunately most of these flares are not life threatening to the mother or the baby and can be treated with steroids.
Women who conceive at least six months after the lupus disease activity has been brought under control are less likely to experience a lupus flare than those who conceive while their lupus is active.[1]

4. How can you identify the symptoms of lupus flare during pregnancy?
Most patients flaring during pregnancy report fatigue, body aches, fever, butterfly shaped redness across the nose and cheeks, or patchy hair loss. Joint pain and joint swelling are also commonly reported. In case of heart or lung involvement, patients report symptoms such as chest pain or breathing problems.
At times, common discomforts of pregnancy can mimic the symptoms of lupus flare. These include:
  1. Swelling of joints (during pregnancy joint swelling occurs because the ligaments which hold your joints loosen up).
  2. Joint pain (especially in the lower back).
  3. Swelling of hands, feet, or ankles (during pregnancy your body tends to retain more fluid).
  4. Redness over the face, also known as “pregnancy blush” (due to increased blood flow to the skin during pregnancy).
  5. Loss of hair.
  6. Fatigue.
  7. Shortness of breath (this occurs because your diaphragm shifts upwards during pregnancy to make more space for the baby).
Nevertheless, if you experience any of the symptoms mentioned above, you should immediately report them to your physician. Lupus flares detected early are easier to treat and in turn cause less harm to the mother and the baby.

5. What are the complications that can occur in pregnant lupus patients?
Lupus patients are at a higher risk for pre-eclampsia (increased blood pressure occurring after 20 weeks of pregnancy in a previously normal woman), HELLP syndrome (Hemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes, Low Platelets), hypertension, renal insufficiency, urinary tract infections, and diabetes. Diabetes and hypertension occur more commonly in women taking steroids during pregnancy. Blurry vision, headaches, abdominal pain, and decreased frequency of urination could indicate a rise in your blood pressure.
Pregnancy loss (or miscarriages) may occur in approximately one-fifth of lupus pregnancies.[3] They are more likely to occur in women with high blood pressure, active lupus disease, active kidney disease, or antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL).Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disorder caused by aPL attacking vascular structures in the body. As a result, this disorder leads to an increased tendency to form abnormal blood clots in the veins and arteries of the legs, lungs, or placenta. For this reason, it is important for lupus patients to be screened for aPL (especially those women who have experienced a miscarriage previously). Women with a history of miscarriage(s) and antiphospholipid antibodies are commonly prescribed aspirin and a blood thinner (heparin) to prevent recurrence.[2]
Finally, lupus patients are at a higher risk for delivering before completing 37 weeks of pregnancy (preterm delivery) and about one-third of lupus mothers deliver preterm.[5] Preterm deliveries are more likely to occur in patients with pre-eclampsia, aPL, and active disease.[4,5] Lupus patients should be watchful for symptoms of premature labor which include backache, pelvic pressure, blood or clear fluid leaking from the vagina, abdominal cramps, and contractions occurring every 10 minutes before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy.

6. What effects can lupus have on the baby?
Most lupus patients give birth to healthy babies. Babies born to lupus patients have no greater chance of birth defects or mental retardation than those born to women without lupus.
Among lupus patients with anti-Ro/SSA or anti-La/SSB antibodies, the risk that the baby will have neonatal lupus erythematosus is 25%.[6] Neonatal lupus consists of a temporary red, raised rash (usually around the eyes and scalp) and abnormal blood counts; the disease usually disappears by 6 to 8 months of age and does not recur.
Among lupus patients with anti-Ro/SSA or anti-La/SSB antibodies, the risk that the baby will have congenital heart block is less than 3%.[6] Thus, if you carry these antibodies, your obstetrician will regularly check the baby's heartbeat starting at around your 16th week of pregnancy. Depending of the type of heart disease your baby has, your doctor may prescribe steroids to you in order to improve the outcome of your baby.
Babies of lupus patients are also prone to intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and low birth weight. This is more likely to occur in pregnancies where the mother is either taking steroids or suffering from pre-eclampsia, hypertension, or active disease. Therefore, it is important to undergo regular ultrasound monitoring to detect IUGR in time and manage it appropriately.
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