|
Battle to free Justina
Pelletier continues in Massachusetts. On the streets and in the State
House!
The battle to free 15-year-old Justina Pelletier from her
custody -- many have called it captivity -- by the Massachusetts Department of
Families and Children (DCF) bureaucracy has become even more heated over the
past week. And it has continued to make news internationally and be documented across the Internet.
 |
There were a lot of signs like this
outside the State House on Tuesday.
[Photos by
MassResistance] |
Shocking
deaths of children force sudden resignation of DCF head
On
Tuesday the Commissioner of DCF, Olga Roche, was forced to resign after three young children in DCF's care
were recently found dead through apparent negligence by the department. The deaths of these children
have shocked the region, and have taken some of the public's attention off of
the Justina Pelletier DCF case.
Governor continues
to refuse to act
The Governor has continued to shamefully
defend the process and claim that he can do nothing to stop it:
* Last week, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick stated that
the decision to remove Justina from her parents was made "based on a detailed
record of the history of neglect in the home." That was blatantly false, and
the local press wasted no time excoriating the Governor for
this unwarranted attack on the family.
* But also last week,
Governor told a family representative that he wanted to get Justina
home and that his administration has "appeared in court to have her sent
home to Connecticut" but that "the court has jurisdiction in this matter, not
us."
* On Thursday, the Governor's Health and Human Services
Secretary John Polanowicz wrote an email to the Connecticut media, where Justina's
family lives, saying that Massachusetts would like to release Justina,
but "DCF does not have the authority to determine when and if custody should be
returned to Justina's parents" because of the judge's ruling "that it is in the
best interest of Justina to remain in DCF custody for now.
"
Can the Governor free Justina? Given that she is a
citizen of Connecticut, and given the other enormous irregularities of this
case, and given that he controls DCF, it's hard to believe that an executive
order in that regard would not be possible. But if not, the Legislature
can.
Bill to free Justina being temporarily
blocked in Mass. House
The bill in the Massachusetts
Legislature which would overrule the judge and free Justina immediately, HD 4212, written by MassResistance and filed on April 4,
continues to be blocked by the Democratic leadership in the House, despite
national outrage and a flood of calls and emails from across the country. (More
about the bill can be found on our Free Justina Action Page.)
On Friday, the national conservative magazine Human Events reported on the bill, its blockage in the
Legislature, and the controversy over whether the Governor has the power to free
her himself:
"If Justina Pelletier dies in the state's care,
that's on the hands of Gov. Deval L. Patrick," said Brian Camenker, founder and
executor director of Mass Resistance, a Waltham-based pro-family action center,
who filed H.D. 4212 with the state House in early April. If signed into law, the
measure would release 15-year-old Justina to her parents Linda and Lou Pelletier
who reside in West Hartford, Conn."
Members of the family describe
Justina, who was an athlete and competitive skater in declining health and in a
wheel chair, he said. "I don't have the medical evidence but some say she could
die."
Protest at State House in support of bill to free
Justina
The demonstration for Justina outside of the State
House.
On Tuesday, about two dozen people demonstrated outside of the
Massachusetts State House to support Justina and demand the Legislature pass the
bill to free her. They filled the outside steps with stuffed animals for
Justina. Four Republican State Representatives who have been vocal on Justina's
behalf briefly came out and joined them in solidarity with their push to get the
bill passed.
Over a hundred stuffed animals for Justina on the
steps of the State House!
| Republican State Reps (from left) Marc
Lombardo, Jim Lyons, Shaunna O'Connell, and Geoff Diehl came out from the budget
debates to show their support. |
|
 |
Justina's sister talked about how Justina
doesn't even know that one of her pets has died because the State of
Massachusetts' DCF bureaucrats won't allow the family to discuss anything with
her that's not approved by them. |
Administration's claim to media shows why the Legislature must
act!
The email sent by Massachusetts Health and Human Services
Secretary John Polanowicz to the Connecticut media includes a number of disputed
claims about Justina's health and well-being while in DCF custody. However, it
reflects the Governor's position that no matter how he says he "feels" about the
situation, he intends to let the Juvenile Court decision stand.
Thus,
barring a successful court action by the family's attorneys, such as the recent
habeas corpus filing, Justina is at the mercy of the Juvenile Court
judge, and by extension the DCF bureaucracy. But this is no "normal" case by any
measure. The judge's actions in this case have been excoriated even by liberal law professor Alan Dershowitz.
Besides
a successful legal challenge there is only one other option: The Legislature can
act to free Justina. But the Democratic leadership is bottling it
up.
Continue pounding on the legislators to get
this bill passed!
This week is being taken up by the budget
deliberations in the Mass. House. But we're not letting that stop us. Go
to our Free Justina Action Page and keep the pressure up! (And to
those in Massachusetts: If you are willing to go and lobby at the State House,
let us know!)
|
Support our work . . .
Your help makes it possible! We are funded by
individuals.
Donate to MassResistance! Better yet - become a monthly donor (email us back to get set
up)!
Donations can also be mailed to:
MassResistance, PO Box 1612, Waltham, MA 02454
ALL donations are
confidential. MassResistance does not sell or lend any of its
lists.
Contact us if you want to get involved.
Also, if this is being forwarded to you
and you want to be on our primary list, sign up for email alerts here!
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment