Desperation

[Karen] It is a sad state of affairs when you begin to be apathetic towards all the bad that happens in the news. Could it be that after a while you have just heard it all and nothing can surprise you?

I was just reading an article that surprised me. It was in regard to Nebraska's take on creating a new law to prevent "dumpster babies". If you are not familiar with this, there are laws in all states. These other states have created safe havens for infants to be left (abandoned) at hospitals when the parents think that they have no other choice. Remember this key point, in every other state the laws specify infants.

Apparently, in Nebraska, legislators have no idea what their constituencies are going through on a day to day basis. They don't understand their own citizen's level of desperation. Did I say their constituencies? Well, I meant to say the nation.

Parents began dropping off their children and as of November 13th, there have been 31 children dropped off from 1 year old to 17. The reasons vary but a common thread was in parents with troubled children who claimed to have sought out help to no avail and who out of desperation made decisions to turn their children over to the state. As I read one particular article, there is one story that illustrates this issue very well. According to the article a "Lincoln mother who dropped off her 18-year-old daughter said she was repeatedly turned down when she sought help from police, state social services authorities and the girl's school. The woman said her daughter had been diagnosed with a mental illness when she was 12 and had deep psychological scars from childhood abuse and from being left alone with her dead biological mother for a week."* In this case, the mother left with the child because the law only covers up to 17 years old.

The mother still does not know where to turn.


*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/safe_haven;_ylt=AuHh7gxUNVY_ZGonNazaNBRsaMYA