I am concerned about children who are being held in foster custody homes against their will. Statistics show that children are ten times more at risk of abuse in foster custody than in their natural family homes.

I hear often about children who are being harmed, for example a ten year old child taken from an Ohio family because of an eraser sized unexplained bruise was subsequently repeatedly molested by boys placed in the same foster custody residence with her. I hear also of children being drugged, such as one 4 year old who was so mentally impaired by drugs that the county of Los Angeles was recently court-ordered to pay 4 million dollars for the care of this child permanently brain-damaged in county custody. There is also the case of Candace, drugged by her foster/adoptive caretaker, and killed by therapy in Colorado while in the presence of the foster/adoptive caretaker - a nurse-practitioner -- this case was documented by a Denver newspaper reporter who went back to North Carolina to find Candace's real mother, who had not even been informed of her daughter's death.

It seems clear to me that it would be much better to leave the children with their parents than to have them so severely damaged in foster custody. I would like to know what you propose to do to reverse the way damage is being done to children who are being traumatized and harmed by being taken away from their families. Child "welfare" services is way out of control, taking children on flimsy and trivial charges so they can get federal funding for their "services".

The social service agencies that take these children are often said to be corrupt and unjust in their dealings with families. Public defenders do not adequately represent accused parents. Federal legislation supports financial payments to states in exchange for taking children (however unfairly) and eventually adopting them out to others. Adoption websites advocated by the Clinton administration look like baby-seller meat markets -- truly a national disgrace.

Please let the American public know how you can correct these horrific family-destroying laws and policies.

Thank-you,

Linda Martin

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May 14, 2001

To: president@whitehouse.gov

Subject: U.S. Human Rights Abuses - Child "Protective" Services

When the United States is constantly turning a deaf ear to victims of its own human rights abuses, it doesn't deserve a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Commission.

The U.S. set up a system to persecute impoverished families by taking away their children, calling poverty issues "neglect".

The longer this outrage continues, the worse it gets.

It is time to reverse the child "protection" laws. It was proven ten years ago that children are far more at risk of abuse in state custody.

How long will you ignore the cries of parents and children who long to have their families healed?

Linda Martin
Fight CPS And Win
http://www.fightcps.com

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