11 Kids Left At Neb. Hospitals In 24 Hours (child abandonment)

KETV.com ^ | 9-25-08

[Renfield]

OMAHA, Neb. -- Child welfare officials in Nebraska said 11 children -- nine from one father -- were abandoned at hospitals in the state Wednesday night under the state's unique safe haven law.

On Wednesday night, one father left his five boys and four girls, ages 1 to 17, at a hospital emergency room. Two unrelated boys ages 11 and 15 were dropped off at another hospital.

One of the boys was placed in foster care and the other is still at the hospital undergoing evaluation, reported KETV-TV.

Five of the nine siblings who were abandoned Wednesday have been placed in a foster home, while the rest are in an emergency shelter. Todd Landry, Nebraska's director of Children and Family Services, said the department is working on an arrangement to keep them together.

The man who left his nine children will not be charged because of the safe haven law, which states any child younger than 19 can be left at a hospital if the child is in immediate danger.

The safe haven law was implemented in July. Before Wednesday, three children ages 11, 13 and 15 were dropped off at hospitals.

In the wake of children being abandoned by their parents, Nebraska officials planned to try Thursday to clarify the new law, which was initially intended to protect infants before state lawmakers amended it to include older children and teenagers.

Lawmakers said the case illustrates a problem many feared when the law was passed -- that parents might be tempted to abandon teens not because of any real danger, but simply because they can't control them.

[Renfield]

Paging Charles Dickens.....Paging Charles Dickens...

[hoagy62]

Given what's going on with the economy, I don't know if it's that they can't control them, but rather that they can't afford them with the lifestyle they want to live for themselves anymore. I have a feeling that may be what's going on here.

"Let's see...spend the weekend blowing my paycheck on booze...or feed my kids? C'mon kids, we're taking a little ride!"

If that's it, it's sickening beyond words.

[Nonstatist]

that parents might be tempted to abandon teens not because of any real danger, but simply because they can't control them.

Anyone who has had teenagers might want to acknowledge the temptation.

[Larry Lucido]

It must be hard to fit the 17 year olds in those little baskets.

[ladiesview61]

I am number 11 of 13. Papa worked a blue collar job, mom stayed home and held down the fort...(no doubt the hardest job on earth!) I know there were times when they wanted to pack it up and run like hell. Thankfully for all of us, they (especially my mother) took total responsibility for their willingness to have such a large family... we miss them dearly...God rest their souls.

[MaryFromMichigan]

You made me giggle.

[Pablo64]

"It must be hard to fit the 17 year olds in those little baskets."

You just have to use extra duct tape.

Seriously, this has been the subject of local talk radio here for about a week or so now. The idiots in the state legislature that argued and pushed to make the age limits include children up to 19 years of age (that's right, you can be old enough to enlist in the military and you can still be "abandoned") told everyone that it wouldn't be abused. We have to protect the children, don't you know?

It was abused from the very first time it was implemented, just like everyone knew and said it would be. Now they are going to have to wait till the state unicameral is back in session and work on an amendment.

Idiots!

[Larry Lucido]

Yeah, it doesn’t make sense. I understand the logic with respect to infants. Better to leave them at the hospital instead of the trash can. But there aren’t a whole lot of 12 year olds being left in trash cans and besides, they can usually get out.

[UCANSEE2]

I don’t think that I would call it ‘abuse’.

I only see three cases here.

The family of nine, the 11-year old, the 15-year old.
The 13 year old (girl?) seems to be sister to one of the boys.

At least that is the way the excerpt read, and I gotta go, so I’ll have to read the full article later. Maybe that will clear up the count.

[Pablo64]

Those are just the ones from this week. Also, this has only recently become law in Nebraska, so it's just beginning.

Omaha radio station KFAB had a guest on the Tom Becka show yesterday afternoon explaining what the intent of the law was. Basically, he said it was to save children who were in immediate danger of harm, i.e., a newborn going to be abandoned and left unattended, or a parent who feels they may not be able to control themselves and may hurt the child. What is apparently happening is parents who feel they just can't deal with the kids, or are having other difficulties, are dumping them.

The guest on the show pointed out that there are other avenues of help available for these parents and they should be using them first. They can dial 211 locally, or the Boy's Town National Hotline, or several other sources.

There will be a major overhauling of this bill done very soon. It should have been written more like the laws in place in other states that are more specific in dealing with the circumstances under which you can leave a child and more specific as to the range of ages that are covered (most of the laws stop at 2 years old or less, not 19).

[Between the Lines]

LB157 – SAFE HAVEN

List of Safe Haven Children and Youth to Date

September 13, 2008

• 11 year old male - Douglas County
• 15 year old male - Lancaster County

September 20, 2008

• 13 year old female - Douglas County

September 24, 2008

• 15 year old male - Douglas County
• 1 year old female - Douglas County
• 6 year old male - Douglas County
• 7 year old male - Douglas County
• 9 year old female - Douglas County
• 11 year old male - Douglas County
• 13 year old female - Douglas County
• 14 year old female - Douglas County
• 15 year old male - Douglas County
• 17 year old male - Douglas County
• 11 year old male - Burt/Douglas County

[Scythian]

This is sad, but better than some things that happen to children, maybe folks should take them in?

[old and tired]

that parents might be tempted to abandon teens not because of any real danger, but simply because they can't control them.

I don't actually have a problem with this.

[VermiciousKnid]

I don’t have a problem with it, either. A totally uncontrollable teen is indistinguishable from one who is in imminent danger, IMO.

Regards,

[hunter112]

Same here. This is what happens when you pass laws forbidding parents from disciplining their children.

[Tammy8]

that parents might be tempted to abandon teens not because of any real danger, but simply because they can't control them.

At my house, out of control teens were in real danger...and not of being abandoned either.

[Between the Lines]

Out of curiosity I looked at the wording of the bill. It says nothing about having to be a citizen of Nebraska (or the US for that matter)to legally abandon ones children.

It is possible that Nebraska will become the nations dumping ground for unwanted children if the law is not changed?

Daddy, I just saw a welcome to Nebraska sign. Daddy, why are we going through Nebraska to go to school?

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

An episode of “Reno 911” covered this. People were dropping off babies to their station all day. They couldn’t get social services to come out so at the end the officers dropped all of the babies off at the fire department.

[keepitreal]

that parents might be tempted to abandon teens not because of any real danger, but simply because they can't control them.

Frankly, some parents of children they cannot control just turn them out into the streets, so leaving them at a hospital is much better than that for these children.

[Pablo64]

That was one of the other issues that has been brought up in various discussions on this. Of course those who proposed it in the first place were among the loudest in reassuring everyone that nobody would abuse the law and that everyone was over reacting and imagining problems that would never happen.

Yeah, right.