2 Years After Isaiah Rider Medically Kidnapped: “They Destroyed Our Whole World”

It has been almost 2 years since Isaiah Rider was released from Illinois DCFS custody after being medically kidnapped. Like many families who are reunited after the trauma of dealing with Child Protective Services, Isaiah and his mother, warrior-advocate Michelle Rider, largely withdrew from social media and the public eye. The horrors they had experienced took a toll and they have needed time to heal. They recently shared their story with a reporter from KWIR, a publication whose audience is largely LGBT. Michelle Rider says that she wants their story to be told as a warning for parents. Reporter Gretchen Rachel Hammond writes: "Although not LGBT themselves, Michelle and Isaiah fear for both gay and straight couples who take a child to a hospital like Lurie for help and suddenly find themselves catapulted into a hell they could never have imagined." In the opening of the series, Hammond makes this statement: "As an increasing number of LGBT couples choose to adopt, the story of one of the most disturbing and bizarre cases of DCFS removing a child after hospital doctors claim Medical Child Abuse serves as a warning." The public may not be aware that the LGBT community contributes to the demand for children to adopt. The Rider article series by KWIR serves as a cautionary tale that the children offered up for adoption to LGBT couples, and to anyone else seeking to adopt, are not always "poor abused children in need of a forever home." Adoptive and foster parents are not always told the truth about the children who are placed with them. Far more often than not, the children were taken from families who love them, who never abused them, and who have been falsely accused of hurting their children. Social worker whistleblowers have told us that they are encouraged to seize children who are "adoptable." Adults wishing to adopt children increase the demand, whether they are LGBT couples unable to conceive on their own, infertile couples, couples with good intentions who want to help children, Christian and religious families seeking to care for "the needy and the orphan," or even pedophiles. No matter the motive, whether good or bad, each serves to create the demand for children. As that demand increases, more children are being taken from innocent families in order to supply the commodities (children) to meet the demand. It is simple economics.

Medically Kidnapped Teen Isaiah Rider Finally Free from Child Protective Services but Ruined Lives Remain

Isaiah Rider is finally free. The Missouri teen was taken captive by Illinois DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services) more than 2 years ago when his mother challenged the doctors at Lurie Children's Hospital when her son was in pain and not being helped by the doctors there. Isaiah and his mother Michelle Rider have been living in a nightmare ever since that horrible day on April 15, 2014, the day when DCFS kicked Michelle out of the hospital and seized custody of Isaiah. Now, that chapter is over, and they are beginning the difficult task of putting their lives back together. When an innocent family wins against Child Protective Services, it can feel like a hollow victory. It is, as Team Isaiah states, "bitter-sweet." It cannot be compared to winning a victory in a ballgame, or a race, or an election. It is a victory after fighting the hardest battle in a family's life, a battle that never should have happened in the first place. So much has been lost. As one mother told Health Impact News after winning such a victory: "How do we celebrate after our lives have been ruined?" The question remains: What are we going to do about it? Are we going to work to make sure that what happened to Michelle and Isaiah Rider stops happening to other families? Medical Kidnapping is wrong, and it needs to end.

Isaiah Rider Chicago Court Hearing Monday – Supporters Pray They Will Let the 18 Year Old Go Free

There will be a court hearing in Chicago regarding the case of 18 year old Missouri resident. Even though he is now an adult, Cook County DCFS, their child protective system, still retains control of his life. Supporters are calling for Illinois to "Free Isaiah Rider!" They invite the press and supporters to attend the hearing, which takes place on Monday, March 21, 2016, at 1:30 pm, at 1100 S Hamilton, Chicago, Illinois, at the Juvenile Court in the courtroom of Judge Nicholas Geanopoulos. Supporters have been very frustrated with the fact that Isaiah Rider is now an adult, but the Illinois DCFS will not free him to live his life. Isaiah himself has pleaded, to no avail, for the system to let him go. He wants to be able to live his life without their interference.

Isaiah Rider is 18 Now, but Illinois Maintains Custody of Medically Kidnapped Missouri Teen

Illinois continues to "terrorize" Missouri resident Isaiah Rider and his family, even after he turned 18 last August. The family had hoped that they would leave them alone, but that has not happened. Their story has not been in the news lately, but their medical kidnapping story is anything but over. Isaiah's mother, Michelle Rider, thought that things would settle down after an appellate court said that Illinois DCFS should not be involved after Isaiah's 18th birthday. They thought their nightmare with the Child Protective System was finally over. However, they have learned that the Cook County Juvenile Court, with the same judge and same players, continues to hold hearings about Isaiah. Usually he and his mother are not informed or invited to these hearings, some of which are off the record, even though it is their lives that are being decided by this entity. Michelle has learned that the state of Illinois continues to receive federal Title IV-E money for her son. Could this be the reason why Illinois won't let go of their case?

Illinois Governor Vetoes Bill For DCFS Services Past 18 – Does This Mean Isaiah Rider Could Go Free?

Advocates for Missouri teen Isaiah Rider's freedom are cautiously optimistic following the news that Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill on Friday. The bill would have extended DCFS services to young adults between the ages of 18 and 21. According to the Chicago Tribune, the bill sent to Rauner's desk "would require that foster care cases remain open until wards reach the age of 21, instead of 18." He vetoed the bill on August 21, calling it an "unfunded mandate" which"places a significant financial burden on the department, particularly because the department would not be eligible for matching federal funds for all these services." Representative Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, sponsored the bill and is vowing to fight back. She made this chilling statement in response to the veto: "We made a decision to make them wards of the state. That means we're their parents." Isaiah has made it clear on numerous occasions that he neither wants nor needs the government of Illinois to be his parents. Isaiah turns 18 on August 27. Advocates are hopeful that Governor Rauney's veto signals Isaiah's freedom, but are afraid to celebrate just yet, until there is confirmation from the Governor's office that the Missouri family's nightmare journey with Illinois DCFS is over.

BREAKING – Illinois Social Worker Threatens to Arrest Teen Isaiah Rider When He Turns 18

In a stunning new development on the Isaiah Rider case, a social worker from Illinois told Isaiah Wednesday that if he were to decide to move out on his own when he turns 18 next week, he would be arrested. Missouri resident Isaiah Rider is not a criminal, nor is he in any way incompetent. Far from it. He is a good student with ambitions of becoming a doctor in the future. But another state is controlling his life, and a caseworker from the state of Illinois DCFS (Child Protective Services) is making it clear that there will be serious repercussions for Isaiah when he becomes a legal adult if he tries to escape the control of DCFS. The Rider family is reeling from this new revelation.

Medical Terrorism: KC Teen Isaiah Rider Will Remain in Illinois Custody After He Turns 18

Isaiah is not free to live his life as he wants, and if the Illinois DCFS has their way, he will still not be free when he turns 18. In his own state of Missouri, he was legally an adult at age 17, but Illinois retained custody of him. He needs your help. DCFS has allegedly repeatedly denied permission for medical treatment for Isaiah. Part of the reason for DCFS involvement in the first place was the Riders' frustration that Lurie Children's Hospital wasn't actually helping Isaiah with his pain. After they told Michelle that there was nothing else they could do, Michelle sought a second opinion, trying to find real medical help for him. Isaiah was medically kidnapped and put into foster care. It was while Isaiah was in a Chicago foster home that he was raped, and had guns and knives drawn on him. He has stated repeatedly that, though his mother has never abused him, he has suffered a great deal of emotional abuse and trauma at the hands of DCFS and Lurie Children's Hospital.

Illinois Stops Teen from Going to Mayo Clinic – “Legalized Terrorism” Claims Distraught Mom

"Today, they are threatening to take Isaiah back to Chicago. Friends, this is legalized terrorism going on right here in our country. We have to stop this. They are violating our civil and constitutional rights and no one is stopping them. This has to become a concern to all. I'm afraid if it doesn't become a public issue of concern soon, we will all be stripped of our rights. This is a reality, it's happening right now. My son is terrified, my family is terrified, I am terrified. Please speak up for us."

Isaiah Rider Speaks out on Robert Scott Bell Show – Wants to go to Mayo Clinic for Pain but Held Hostage

Isaiah Rider, the 17 year old teenager who is still in the custody of Illinois against his will, appeared on The Robert Scott Bell Show last night (April 6th) along with his mother Michelle Rider to give an update on their current situation. As reported on the Epic Times today, one of the more amazing moments in the interview was when Isaiah was asked by Robert Scott Bell “What do you need?” Isaiah’s response was: “The one thing that I need is I really need people to help me make a difference in the world. I want kids to have better lives than having DCFS take them away from their families.” Today (April 7, 2015), Michelle Rider reported that Isaiah is experiencing another pain crisis, and they desperately need help. The family wants Isaiah transferred to the Mayo Clinic, but they need the permission of the State of Illinois DCFS to do so.

Medically Kidnapped Isaiah Rider: “Don’t Underestimate Me”

Teenager Isaiah Rider is speaking out about being a victim of DCFS and Lurie Children's Hospital after they seized custody of him from his mother last year. A verdict was reached Wednesday, March 11, that the 17 year old will remain a ward of the state of Illinois, a state he only visited in order to have surgery. His message to the world and to DCFS is this: "One thing you're not going to do - take me away from my family. Don't underestimate me. You're never taking me away from my family. I love my family more than anything."