Posted on 10/22/2003 9:47:58 PM PDT by cgk
RE: Disabled Florida woman raped, Gov. Jeb Bush appointed guardian to determine if baby should be aborted (J.D.S.)**
This is an update on the OTHER Florida/Jeb Bush case from a few months back that seems never to have seen an outcome on FreeRepublic since I was away. I searched around and found nothing, so for those of you who followed this case, here 'tis.
Previous links/threads:
Update #1:
Baby Girl 'S' Born in Florida
(snip)...When "Baby Girl S" was delivered August 30, the birth of the six-pound, seven-ounce child represented a happy ending to a story that began in sheer ugliness. The baby's severely mentally disabled mother, referred to in documents as "J.D.S.," tragically had been raped in an Orlando, Florida, group home where she lived.
Mother and child were at the center of a fierce controversy that extended for months over such issues as who would be appointed the mother's legal guardian, what would happen to the unborn child, and whether a separate guardian should have been appointed for the baby, as requested by Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
(snip...)Husband of group home's owner charged in rape of disabled woman
ORLANDO, Fla. - A 75-year-old man has been arrested in the rape of a severely mentally disabled woman known as J.D.S. at an Orlando group home. He will be in court today to answer to the charges.
Phillip Strong, the husband of the group home's owner, is charged with one count of sexual battery on a mentally defective person. He is currently being held without bond at the Orange County Jail.
Strong's wife, Hester, is charged with neglect of a mentally defective person and is being held in lieu of $7,500. The couple was arrested around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday after DNA tests confirmed the baby was fathered by Strong, according to police reports.
Doctor: Man Accused Of Raping J.D.S. Competent For Trial
(snip...)Strong bonded out of the Orange County Jail in late September on $30,000 bail before the second doctor could evaluate him, prosecutors said.
The woman lived most of her life with the Strongs in their small, southwest Orlando group home. In April, authorities discovered J.D.S. was pregnant and determined she was raped because she is too disabled to consent to sex. Authorities estimate she was raped in late November or December.
The Strong group home lost its license, and J.D.S. was removed. The state placed her baby in a foster home. Hester Strong, 73, was charged with neglect of a mentally disabled person.
Disabled woman's mother to sue state
(snip...)The mother, who lives in the Pensacola area, plans to sue the state for damages and to seek legal guardianship for J.D.S. and her granddaughter, according to her lawyer, Daniel Mark Soloway. She first learned of her daughter's case only a few days ago.She also plans to sue Hester and Phillip Strong, J.D.S.'s former state-appointed caregivers.
Phillip Strong, 75, was accused as the rapist when his DNA matched that of the daughter J.D.S. delivered.
A Happy Ending
(snip...)"Baby Girl S" refers to the healthy newborn delivered last Saturday to a severely mentally disabled woman who, tragically, had been raped in an Orlando, Florida group home. The mother, herself known only as "J.D.S.," was at the center of a controversy over whom would be appointed her legal guardian, what would happen to the unborn child, and whether a separate guardian should have been appointed for the baby, as asked for by Gov. Jeb Bush.
"She's pretty. She's got lots of hair. It's curly," (court-appointed guardian) Jarrell told the Sentinel. Jarrell was at the hospital at the time of the birth and saw pictures of the baby but not the child herself. "I'm still a little upset I didn't get to see the baby," she said.
She told the newspaper she particularly wanted a picture of the mother and baby together, explaining, "I want it for her [J.D.S.]... I think she deserves that dignity. It's her baby. She is the victim here."
I'm so happy that J.D.S. and her baby girl are healthy and alive! And it seems, she has family where she didn't before. Hopefully her mom and sister mean well, and will take care of the both of them.
Praise God for answering many of our prayers.
(hope you all remember this story)
Ask the rapist.
In proven cases of rape, the death penalty should be mandatory for the rapist.
Ask someone a question, about Life, who could care less about it?
Why don't we ask the victims?
Rape, Incest and Abortion: Searching Beyond the Myths
"it is commonly assumed that rape victims who become pregnant would naturally want abortions. But in the only major study of pregnant rape victims ever done, Dr. Sandra Mahkorn found that 75 to 85 percent chose against abortion.1 This evidence alone should cause people to pause and reflect on the presumption that abortion is wanted or even best for sexual assault victims.
Several reasons are given for not aborting. First, approximately 70 percent of all women believe abortion is immoral, even though many also feel it should be a legal choice for others. Approximately the same percentage of pregnant rape victims believe abortion would be just another act of violence perpetrated against their bodies and their children.
Second, some believe that their child's life may have some intrinsic meaning or purpose which they do not yet understand. This child was brought into their lives by a horrible, repulsive act. But perhaps God, or fate, will use the child for some greater purpose. Good can come from evil.
Third, victims of assault often become introspective. Their sense of the value of life and respect for others is heightened. They have been victimized, and the thought that they in turn might victimize their own innocent child through abortion is repulsive.
Fourth, at least at a subconscious level, the victim may sense that if she can get through the pregnancy, she will have conquered the rape. By giving birth, she can reclaim some of her lost self-esteem. Giving birth, especially when conception was not desired, is a totally selfless act, a generous act, a display of courage, strength and honor. It is proof that she is better than the rapist. While he was selfish, she can be generous. While he was destroying, she can be nurturing.
(
Tell that to my half-sister and her three beautiful children.
She was conceived in 1965 under almost identical conditions as this.
Fortunately for her, sickos like you hadn't gotten their tentacles into our institutions and corrupted them yet.
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