9 kids from same family abandoned under new Nebraska Law

[Captain Tars Tarkas]

11 kids, including family of 9, abandoned

By TIMBERLY ROSS, Associated Press Writer 30 minutes ago

OMAHA, Neb. - Eleven children ranging in age from 1 to 17 were left at hospitals Wednesday under Nebraska's unique safe haven law, which allows caregivers to abandon youngsters as old as 19 without fear of prosecution.


Nine of the children came from one family. The six boys and three girls were left by their father, who was not identified, at Creighton University Medical Center's emergency room. Unrelated boys ages 11 and 15 also were surrendered Wednesday at Immanuel Medical Center.

The law, which went into effect in July, initially was intended to protect infants. In a compromise with senators worried about arbitrary age limits, the measure was expanded to include the word "child," which wasn't defined. Some have interpreted this to mean anyone under the age of 19.

At least 14 children have been abandoned under the state's safe haven law since it took effect.

I wondered if something weird like this would happen.

[akiratubo]

Marvelous.

[ghouck]

*note to self, , move to Nebraska. . .

[Newt]

Nine  from one family?  Oh I could get started on a real rant with that.

Having dealt over the years with a fair number of kids who were under the care of "Family Services", I always have to wonder:  are these kids better off surrendered or abandoned by parents who cannot cope etc, or would they really be better off if those parents were forced to keep the family together under any and all circumstances?  Some situations truly are untenable. 

I feel sorry for the kids who are old enough to know what is going on.

[Jack]

I wonder what they do if the kids want to go back to their own family?  Do they tell them no, sorry, we passed this law that your parents can give you away and you've been given away, so, now you're forbidden by law to go home?

[trekgeezer]

Sounds like the legislature needs to do some rewriting of the law.  The way it is now all kinds of deadbeats will be dropping off their kids.

[Ed, Ego and Superego]

I ahve a friend who is a juvenile parole officer.  She gets parents trying to have their kids put away or put into foster care all the time.
The laws are intended to help infants.  This was just stupid.
-Ed

[ghouck]

But the question remains: What was the guys supposed to do? I understand that things like this are horrific, , but I have to say this guys sounds like someone that just couldn't make headway, and perhaps the kids ARE better off in a more stable environment. I'm under no disillusion that state social service is a BETTER place for kids, but there are decent foster homes/families, moreso than people believe. This is a bit different that crack-heads dropping off their kids because they don't want to feed them, or someone dropping off their kid so they can live on the road with some biker gang. I'm a true believer in that if you don't have the skills and resources to be an acceptable parent, then you should let someone who DOES do the job.

Unfortunately people that drop off their kids at a place like this fall into either of two catagories: Parents that don't care about their kids at all, and parents that care more than enough to want a better life for those kids, even at their own detriment.

[BoyScoutKevin]

And they're coming from Michigan to do it in Nebraska. The latest news, that I saw, was that a lady who lives in Michigan drove all the way to Nebraska to drop off her teen-age son, because she felt she could not longer take care of him. Nebraska is checking with the authorities in Michigan to see whether the woman first sought help in her home state.

[BTM]

I'm a true believer in that if you don't have the skills and resources to be an acceptable parent, then you should let someone who DOES do the job.

I don't know, I'm of the thought that if you don't think you have the skills or resources to be an acceptable parent, then maybe you SHOULDN'T be having kids, PERIOD.  I mean, I can understand things happen, but having NINE "accidents"?  You'd think after kid four or five, the guy would get a vasectomy, or invest in this neat invention we have called "condoms".

[ghouck]

IIRC, the father did so after the mother died. I took it more as he didn't know how hard it was to do ALONE.

[jdizon]

Are these kids better off surrendered or abandoned by parents who cannot cope etc.
tampa family law