Child Seized for Medical Marijuana in Oregon Returned Home After Public Outcry

Last weekend, the New Year rang in with smiles and tears of joy for an Oregon couple accused of child neglect over a legal medical marijuana harvest and a mother’s mental health. Kitrina’s daughter, Kaylynn, was returned home by Oregon Child Protective Services, the day before the Holiday weekend. The only reason Kaylynn was returned home was because Kitrina Nelson fired her court appointed public defender, Cole Sahleen. Like hundreds of other families who have told their stories to Health Impact News, Kitrina found that the court appointed attorney wanted her to play along while he made a pretense of advocating for her. Regardless of her limited knowledge of the law and court proceedings, and with a little guidance from the judge, who expressed surprise at the crowd of people that showed up to view the court proceedings, Kitrina successfully represented herself and cross examined her own case. After more than 3 hours of testimony and evidence, Judge Hung ruled that the state had no case against her, and that Kaylynn was to be returned home. Russ Belville documented the exuberance of emotion from the family upon hearing the ruling: "The sight of an average American family collapsing in each other’s arms weeping tears of joy for the return of their one-year-old daughter/cousin/granddaughter after 10 weeks of state captivity was the greatest holiday miracle I’ve ever experienced." Serra Frank reports: "Once again, I personally witnessed that an educated parent is the most powerful person in a courtroom!! Mama Bear roared and CPS ran around in circles! Justice and logic won the day...." Billy Fisher from the Fight for Lilly Foundation concluded: "Once a parent can see past the intimidation of the unknown in the court system, they can do anything. But it matters how you stand! I am so proud of Kitrina. She stood. She fought. She won. They have to Bring Kaylynn Home!"

UPDATE: Family Fights for the Life of Senior Medically Kidnapped from her Home and Forced onto Drugs

The fate of 69 year old Beverley Finnegan of Massachusetts remains up in the air for now. Attorneys met on the Friday before Christmas to argue for and against pulling the plug on the medically kidnapped senior citizen. After several hours in court, attorney Lisa Belanger told Health Impact News that they had expected Judge Mareen Monks to rule by the end of the day on Friday, December 23, 2017. That didn't happen. The verdict was not handed down until after Monday's Christmas holiday. The ruling is a temporary victory for Beverley's life. The court requires additional information and will appoint a Guardian ad litem to gather information on the motions submitted by both sides. The next court hearing will be on January 29, 2018. While attorneys and guardians argued in court Friday that Beverley Finnegan should be put to death by "pulling the plug," attorney Lisa Belanger fought valiantly to save the life of a woman that Dr. Paul Byrne, a medical expert on brain death, says is reasonably likely to improve if she were to have proper treatment: Beverly has a functioning brain. Beverly Finnegan does not fulfill any set of "brain death" criteria. In Dr. Byrne's medical affidavit, he states that proper medical treatment of her condition did not occur and still has not occurred. He asserts that if she were to receive the proper treatment, there is a "reasonable likelihood of improvement" of her condition.

Oklahoma Mom Gives Legal Cannabis Oil to Epileptic Daughter to Stop Seizures – Now all 5 Children Medically Kidnapped

Advocacy for effective medical treatment of her epileptic daughter has led to the medical kidnapping of an Oklahoma homeschool mom's 5 children. When ordinary medical treatments failed to help her child, Tammy Searcy learned that cannabis oil might be able to help her daughter's life-threatening seizures. She was not willing to break any laws, so she worked to change laws in her state. Only after medical cannabis use became legal did she begin treatment for 14 year old Brianna, and the results were almost miraculous. Now, all 5 of Tammy's children have been seized by Child Protective Services, and many believe that this was retaliation for her activism. Her children have been separated and Tammy fears for their safety. Brianna's health has declined sharply, and social workers want to force-vaccinate her children.

Active Senior Medically Kidnapped from her Home and Forced onto Drugs in Nursing Home Now Near Death

Earlier this year, Beverley Finnegan, age 69, of Newton, Massachusetts, could walk, talk, and discuss the events from the daily newspaper. That was before she was seized from the condo that she shared with her sister. Police and "Elder Protective Services" social workers literally broke down her door to enter her residence, and then forced her into a nursing home, and drugged her against her will. Years before, she had named her sister as her medical proxy, but the state of Massachusetts has ignored her wishes and placed her under guardianship with strangers. Her whole life, everything she had ever known, was gone with the stroke of a judge's pen. Now, she is on life support, and on Monday, December 18, guardians and their attorneys petitioned the court in the attempt to have Beverley Finnegan euthanized. They go back to court on Friday, December 22. Janet Pidge is fighting for the very life of her beloved sister who is just one court decision away from having her life snuffed out forever.

Massachusetts State Auditor Finds Widespread Rape and Sexual Abuse in Foster Care but DCF Officials Won’t Report It

On December 7, 2017, Massachusetts State Auditor Suzanne Bump released an appalling audit of her state's Child Protective Services, the Department of Children and Families (DCF). The audit, which covered 2014 and 2015, found that there were many instances where children in state care, whether in foster homes or group homes or other facilities under DCF care, were abused physically or sexually, but DCF failed to report the incidents to the proper authorities. DCF officials told Auditor Suzanne Bump that they don't see sexual abuse as a serious enough problem that they need to report it.

Oregon CPS Kidnaps Child Because Parents are Legal Medical Marijuana Patients

An Oregon couple was blindsided when Child Protective Services seized baby Kaylynn, alleging Child Neglect because of their medical marijuana use. Oregon has issued permits for the medicinal use for marijuana since 1998 and legalized recreational use since 2014. The couple has complied with all state laws, and they don't understand how the same state can legalize something on one hand while on the other hand, they seize a child from her home for the very thing that the legislators and voters have said that they can do. This murky and confusing legal climate has left a mother devastated and her baby girl robbed of her family. No matter what one believes about the legalization, use, or ethics of marijuana, it is clear that families should not be torn apart over differing policies within the same state agencies.

Formerly Healthy Girl with Rare Genetic Disorder Dies After Being Medically Kidnapped in Georgia

Nyhariah Mack's battle to live has ended. She passed away Thursday afternoon, December 7, 2017. The little girl with a very rare chromosomal disorder was full of life when a doctor and hospital enlisted Georgia's Child Protective Services to seize her from her mother a year and a half ago. At the time, she had no issues, just a rare medical condition that made her tiny and delayed her development. Shortly after going into "protective" custody, her health rapidly declined. She was subjected to unnecessary, experimental surgeries. Many family, friends, and supporters believe that the doctors and hospital at Emory took her in order to experiment on her, since her condition was so rare - only a little over a hundred people worldwide have the diagnosis of Trisomy 9. Her tonsils were removed only a couple of weeks after she was seized, providing tissue that scientists were free to use in experiments. What else might they have done to this little girl behind closed doors? It has been apparent to her mother since the beginning that there were some within this whole ordeal that saw her child as nothing more than a guinea pig, a lab rat to be used for scientific experimentation. Nhyariah is the latest casualty of this battle called Medical Kidnapping.

Arizona Disbands Federally Mandated Citizen Review Panels for CPS Cases Leaving Families Fewer Options to Fight Corrupt System

Is it a case of the fox guarding the henhouse? All states are federally-mandated to have some type of citizen review panel for Child Protective Services cases, but a recent decision by Arizona's Department of Child Safety Director Greg McCay will move that citizen review panel in Arizona in-house, within the Department of Child Safety, by the end of the year. Presumably, a citizen review panel is designed to provide some level of accountability to the Child Welfare/Foster Care system, allowing for an objective third party to evaluate cases and ensure that parents' rights are not being violated and that children are truly being protected. Critics and parents fear that Arizona's move to in-house review panels will only serve to further insulate corrupt officials and lead to less, not more, oversight and accountability of the Department.

Enraged Idaho Community Acts to Help Young Couple Who Refused Vaccine for Newborn – Baby Back Home for Now

An Idaho newborn who was seized by Child Protective Services the day before Thanksgiving over vaccine refusal was conditionally returned to his parents on Friday, December 1. While supporters are rejoicing over the judge's decision, there is a great deal of concern over the state of Idaho's overreach in taking baby Elijah. Precious bonding time was lost, and a new family has been traumatized. Diamond Mehlhoff has cerebral palsy, which is a brain disorder affecting movement. Despite her disability, she is active and involved in her church. She lives with her husband Ari and the baby's grandfather. For the Mehlhoff family, they have won a temporary victory. Their baby is now home with them. Their church family has rallied around them and will be providing round-the-clock support. Like every other family that comes under the heavy hand of Child Protective Services, the couple will have to jump through hoops as they prepare for the next court hearing.

Nevada Rules Against Arizona CPS on Shoar Family Baby – Remaining Children Still Held as Prisoners in Arizona Foster Care

Jeff and Tabitha Shoars are rejoicing today over a Nevada court's ruling. The Child Protective Services' claims against them that originated in Arizona, not Nevada, have been found to be unsubstantiated, and the case is closed as of 10 a.m. on November 30, 2017. Despite repeated attempts by social workers from the State of Arizona to have their baby Ny'tallieya removed from her parents' custody, a Nevada court has found that there are no reasons to keep the baby from her home. Tabitha Shoars says that they are very excited, and that it feels "like a weight's been lifted off of [their] shoulders." This is the 4th time that Arizona has presented false allegations against them to the state of Nevada, and it is the 4th time that the allegations were found to be unsubstantiated. The Shoars are hopeful that this will signal to Arizona social workers that they cannot manipulate social workers and courts in other states. She says that one of the Nevada social workers they have worked with clearly sees that the Arizona CPS attacks against them are "harassment." The fight continues, however, to get their other 7 children back from the state of Arizona, where they remain held captive in foster care. Arizona social workers traveled to Nevada last year and kidnapped the Shoars' children, bringing them back to Arizona. Baby Ny'tallieya was the only one spared at that time, because she was born in Nevada and local officials would not help Arizona kidnap her. The Shoars' 7 children held prisoner in Arizona foster care have been traumatized and desperately want to return home to their parents in Nevada. They have filed a lawsuit in Arizona demanding justice.