THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 7, 1994 TAG: 9412060012
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 45 lines
Once again our system has failed a child and erred on the side of protecting the rights of a parent. I refer specifically to a news article published on Nov. 17 stating that an emaciated 5-month-old was returned to the home of his parents even though there was evidence of abuse to another child.
A phone call to the office of Social Services Director Daniel M. Stone was forwarded to an unfortunate employee designated to field calls from an irate public. She could answer questions only in generalities, stating a policy or law which protected the privacy of the parents.
I am a mother of four. I say to hell with the rights of the parents. These people have proved themselves unfit to care for a cat, much less an infant. When will this system we all espouse and protect begin to protect those who are truly helpless, truly innocent - our children.
The social worker I spoke to asked me did I not think that people benefit from counseling, did I not believe a person could be rehabilitated. I answered with a resounding, ``No - I do not believe that!''
A person who would deliberately harm a child cannot be changed. You may teach him that there are consequences for his actions should they be discovered. But change him? No. You have to have some part of humanity left out of you to harm a child, and no amount of counseling can put it in.
Social Services says people are innocent until proved guilty, and they have rights that have to be protected. I agree with that if we are talking about robbery or any other crime that does not involve the safety of an innocent child. But with any evidence that a child is at risk, that child should be removed from the environment which threatens him until that environment is proved safe. The only innocent person in that situation is the child.
Our hero in your report of the 17th states that even though he put his hand over his daughter's mouth and nose and stopped her breathing (to relieve his work frustration), he did stop before she died.
What a prince. Send the bully my way. I'll show you some justice.
PEGGIE BRIDGERS
Virginia Beach, Nov. 25, 1994 by CNB