In one of the most bizarre cases of idiotic legislation I’ve seen in a while, ‘children’ are being abandoned, i.e. ‘dropped off’ at Nebraska hospitals because of an ineptly written law.
The law was written to make sure an unwanted baby can find a healthy home where he/she can be cared for, as well as protect the unwilling parents from repurcussions of abandoning their child.
Enter in some hastily-written legislation and some irresponsible and/or exasperated parents and this is what you get.
A single dad who leaves nine children at Creighton University Medical Center (story), among others, totaling at least 15 older children who were dropped off by a weary parent, aunt, or grandmother.
The main interest state Senator Arnie Stuthman cited for the law was ‘that it gives the mother or parent another option of what to do with a child before they do something drastic." And since the law doesn’t specify, it allows anyone, not just a parent, to legally surrender custody of someone all the way up to 19.
Now, I’ll grant you that some parents are dropping off kids because they are at their wits’ end. But is this the solution? To hand off unruly teenagers because of tough economic conditions, worry, stress, etc.? I don’t know. I can see parents getting overwhelmed and seeing this as a viable option.
Regardless, it’s much like our current political landscape. I’d love to see the government step out and the Church step in. I commend teh Nebraska legislators for wanting to protect all children (not just potential Dumpster Babies) from harm, but IMO this smells a little bit like the $700 billion bailout we’re trudging through.
Thoughts?