BUT WHY NOT HER PARENTS?
by Sharon Rondeau
(May 5, 2014) — ABC News reported on Monday that the 15-year-old Connecticut girl held by the Massachusetts Department of Child and Family Services, Justina Pelletier, will be returned to her home state “next week.”
Justina was hospitalized at Boston Children’s Hospital in February of last year with flu symptoms after her specialist at Tufts Medical Center recommended that she see a specialist there familiar with her diagnosis of mitochondrial disease. Two BCH doctors disagreed with the Tufts diagnosis, stating that instead Justina suffered from somatoform disorder. When the parents attempted to discharge Justina to return to Tufts for her care, the BCH doctors contacted Massachusetts child protective services, which ordered that Justina be barred from seeing her family except for a one-hour visit each week.
A report on Channel 3 news in Hartford at 5:00 p.m. on Monday reported that the Pelletier family is not pleased with the ruling because it “does not go far enough.” According to the report, Massachusetts DCF will retain custody of Justina until the Pelletiers “prove” that they are able to care for her properly.
Justina’s mother, Linda, was shown saying that she had four daughters, of whom Justina is the youngest, and that she “must have done a pretty good job.” Justina’s father, Lou, stated that “other options” are being explored to effect the return of Justina’s custody to his wife and him.
Investigative reporter Beau Berman of FOXCT had broken the story of Justina Pelletier last fall after Justina’s father, Lou, decided to ignore a gag order imposed by a Massachusetts judge about discussing the case publicly. Lou was threatened with jail time, but the charge was dropped.
Justina’s parents must meet several “conditions” in order to regain custody of their daughter. In the meantime, Justina will be staying at the Susan Wayne Center for Excellence in Thompson, CT, a rural town in the northeast corner of the state. The Pelletiers live in West Hartford, reported by Channel 3 to be about 70 minutes away.
The Rev. Patrick Mahoney, who has supported the Pelletiers’ efforts to regain custody immediate, tweeted the reunification plan put forth on Monday by the Massachusetts Department of Health and Human Services.
The Wayne Center appears to be part of the “Justice Resource Institute,” a behavioral health clinic which states that it “works in partnership with individuals, families, communities and government to address their shared challenges in a comprehensive, coordinated, systematic, and effective manner.”
The Justice Resource Institute is based in Needham, MA.
A photo shown by ABC News depicts Justina with a noticeably receding hairline. ABC does not report that Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver has filed a habeas corpus petition and is working on both state and federal civil rights violations lawsuits.
The Boston Globe called the various groups supportive of Justina’s return to her parents as “a ragged coalition” which “means well, for the most part.”
In a note sneaked to her parents, Justina claimed that she was abused in a group home in Framingham, where she was moved after being discharged from Boston Children’s Hospital in January.
The Family Research Council also supports the return of Justina to her parents.
In a statement, the Pelletiers said they were “extremely disheartened” that Massachusetts Health and Human Services Director John Polanowicz released a “reunification plan” to the media prior to their scheduled meeting with him on Monday. They objected to DCF’s continued control of Justina’s care, the records to which her parents have no access. Liberty_Counsel_and_Lou_Pelletier_Respond_to_Reunification_Plan
The Pelletiers are concerned about Justina’s move to a “behavioral issues wing” at the Wayne Center and would prefer that she be able to receive education within the West Hartford public school system. There is also no timeline in DCF’s plan for Justina’s return to her parents.
This writer attended West Hartford schools in the 1960s and 1970s, at which time they offered outstanding educational opportunities.
In an interview with Josh Duggar of FRCAction, Lou Pelletier tells Justina’s story with video of her ice skating before the onset of her illness. Justina is reportedly in a wheelchair now.
How many more children are suffering this fate? How many people are adopting children from centers that don’t have a home or other situation and the children are being used for paychecks for the families that adopt them. Many families do care for the children but too many don’t and the HRS and other organizations don’t see the children or check on them enough as they are usually underfunded or some other lame excuse while trillions are wasted in DC on parties for the DNC GLUT or some other PORK program.