The Missouri Children’s Division has accomplished something most of us would have thought impossible: They got all sides in the debate over abortion to agree.
They agree about Hailey, the young mother profiled in an outstanding story in The Independent. They agree that the behavior of the Children’s Division in surveilling, harassing, traumatizing and sometimes tearing apart Hailey’s loving family was, in the words of State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, “really horrifying.”
Over and over Hailey’s great-aunt, Jodi Spradley, overcame one obstacle after another to craft a fragile safety net first for Hailey and then for her infant as well. Over and over the Children’s Division tore that safety net apart. The issue was never abuse, it was poverty – often housing.
As Kelley Fong, professor and author of the landmark study Investigating Families said:
“[I]t’s really striking that rather than provide her with what she needs to provide a stable home for mom and baby, the response is just to separate everyone. That is extremely traumatic for the new mom, for the baby, for everyone involved.”
Yes, it’s horrifying. But here’s something more horrifying: A change in leadership at the Children’s Division means it’s likely to get worse. …
