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I recently had a pt who was in an advanced state of pregnancy and was doing things that posed great harm to herself and her unborn child. The question was raised as to whether we should call DYFS (New Jersey's child protection services). I was wondering what everyone thought about this issue?
I have a cousin who, thank God, my aunt was sure to keep on birth control pills. She is a very large woman and a paranoid schizophrenic. She is often violent. What a cruel fate for a child who would have been born to her.
When I was in high school (graduated in '79) there was a girl a couple of years ahead of me who was in the special ed program. She was obviously not deeply retarded, but had enough issues that her parents sought to have her tubes tied when she started menstruating. In our dinky little town (and in the '70's) the doctor didn't bat an eye. Her parents felt that they could talk to her all they wanted about sex, but because of her personality and other issues, they were very much afraid she would end up pregnant. Can you imagine that happening now? I'm sure it wouldn't be allowed.
but where is the logic, that she is also abusing a viable human being?
Not only that, but they let it happen OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER again ........... baby after baby.
She almost killed her baby, so she goes gets pregnant again and almost kills herself and this new baby. Actually this new baby is brain dead, so to me, she should go to jail for murder. That's a situation we've recently dealt with.
And I'm sure we'll see her again next year!!
:angryfire
CHATSDALE
4,177 Posts
there was a case that i know personally in st. pal, mn about 10 years ago where the mother tested positive at a clinic and they placed her in custody and gave 3 y/o boy to schizophrenic father, at the birth of the child both children were returned to mother w/o followup
i think that removing the child from harm was good but i don't know if it was pc