A mother has driven for 12 hours across the US to abandon her teenage son in Nebraska, under a law allowing adults to leave children at state hospitals. The state’s safe-haven law prevents prosecution for abandonment.
But the head of Nebraska’s health and human services division said dumping children was not an appropriate way for families to deal with parenting issues.
The abandoned boy from Michigan, 13, is the 18th youth to be left since the law took effect in July. He is the second teenager from outside the state to be abandoned there. The first, a 14-year-old girl from Iowa, was returned home after being left by her grandparents.
The law is unique in that it allows any adult, not just parents, to drop off children of any age at any state-licenced hospital.
“I certainly recognise and can commiserate and empathise with families across our state and across the country who are obviously struggling with parenting issues, but this is not the appropriate way of dealing with them,” said Todd Landry, from the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.
So, why did they pass the law in the first place?
Rumor has it McCain tried to drop off Palin but was unsuccessful. That’s just wrong this law is limited to children.
If you don’t clean your room we’re going to Nebraska!
I guess they thought only babies were unwanted. Wrong.
The only reason these kids are being dumped is that ya can’t sell them as slaves.
Okay I’ve known more than few kids that nobody who was sane wanted. This may or may not be the problem. I’ve known more than few parents that had better things to do than waste time and money taking care of a kid.
Sending a kid back to somebody that dumped them is neither reasonible nor prudent. It’s the cheap way out.
The rumor that hospitals in Nebraska drain the blood and harvest the stem cells from abandoned children is completely wrong and should not be even considered as the real reason for passing the law.
“I certainly recognise and can commiserate and empathise with families across our state and across the country who are obviously struggling with parenting issues, but this is not the appropriate way of dealing with them,” said Todd Landry, from the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.
I would like to hear his review of the alternatives available.
The question that I have never seen asked of one of the legislators is… “Why, as the last state to pass a law like this, didn’t you template your law after similar laws in neighboring states?”
There is a similar law in Arizona, but it is limited to babies. Its to prevent infanticide.
Why don’t the people just READ THEIR BIBLES AND BEAT OR STONE THEIR DISOBEDIANT CHILDREN TO DEATH !!! The Bible tell you so !!!
The cornhuskers were always our arch enemy on the field. I think its just a ploy to recruit for the football team… 😉
#6, That is a question the local reporters ask the senator that originally introduced the bill every time there is a dropoff. He says that they were leery of putting a limit such as infants up to 3 days old in the event that lack of a safe haven for a 4 day old may put that child in jeopardy. For instance, Florida’s safe haven law is for infants up to 3 days old. If a 3 year-old could be safely dropped off, where would little Caylee Anthony be today? I realize this is pure speculation, but it’s difficult to put an age limit on protecting children in danger of abuse. There was only one senator that in the entire legislature that believed this law would be disastrous, all the rest voted for it.
This situation highlights the lack of resources available for struggling parents. The state provides little or no assistance to parents until the children are in danger and then they take custody and continue to fail to protect them.
Oh, jeeze. Find the most remote bum-flippin’ part of Nebraska to show a picture of!
A more accurate picture of where this actually occurred. In fact, you can even see Creighton Med Center on the northwest corner of downtown (just past the east/west and north/south highway intersection).
This is further proof that government is the problem, not the solution. Guess what people? Life requires work! Parenting aint’ easy. Nothing of significance in life is easy. Get over it and quit yer damn whining!
This country is becoming so wussified that I fully expect an Obama landslide so that the sheep can all line up for their ration of Soylent Green from the Chosen One.
If my grandfather (WWII vet) were alive, he would spit on what passes for ’21st Century adults’ in this country. Jeesh …
#13 – Jeff
You’re right, the country IS being wussified. It’s not Obamas, the libs, or Soylent green that’s to blame.
It’s a generation of chickenhawk pussies like Dumbya and Anal Cyst Limbaugh and Loofah Pad O’Reilly, who roar their war cries from behind the mahogany desk, safe in the knowledge that THEY didn’t ever have to fight for their counry, yet eagerly sending the next generation off to fight and die for their folly.
Maybe if AWOL Bush had spent a little time crawling through a rice paddy dodging sniper fire, he would have been a little less eager to send the next generation to be blown to bits so he could try and show up Daddie.
Sheesh.
#13, gibson,
If my grandfather (WWII vet) were alive, he would spit on what passes for ’21st Century adults’ in this country. Jeesh …
My father fought in WWII. He spits on people that would call upon his sacrifice for some bullshit argument he never believed in. You are the worst kind of ingrate. Make your own arguments without invoking the memories of those who did the dirty work for you.
Nebraska was the LAST state to pass such a “safe haven” law. It’s just that our state senator nitwits didn’t check out other state’s laws to model ours after. They are talking about a special-session to fix the botch up…
btw–the law in NE doesn’t cover non-residents. The woman from Detroit may (and most likely will) be prosecuted for abandonment..
Hey—Because of this law we got on the cover of People magazine this month!!! (Check out the top of the cover)
#16 – WallyG
>>Because of this law we got on the cover of People
>>magazine this month!!!
As any devoted reader of People Magazine knows, that is a weekly publication. Not monthly. What week?
So you would rather see this teen boy on the street? I know from being a parent it can be over whelming at times. Some people do not have the family sopport backup I had. Better the kid is in a safe place then the street.
They should have implemented those GOP orphanages run by priests when newt gingrich suggested the idea.