Arthur Schaper: Justina: Free at Last? (and Media Failures)
Thursday, May 08, 2014
Readers should not forget this massive media failure, and voters in the Commonwealth should remember the Pelletier’s shabby treatment from their politicians come November, believes Arthur Schaper.
The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families is releasing the young lady, but to a Connecticut psychiatric facility, where the powers-that-be can expedite (?) her exit back to her parents.
To recap: young Justina Pelletier was first diagnosed with a rare mitochondria disorder. Following the recommendation of her doctors, the Pelletiers went to Boston Children’s Hospital, where the medical personnel questioned the initial diagnosis. Indicting a psychiatric disorder, the hospital suggested a different course of treatment. Outraged by this development, the parents attempted to take their daughter home, only to be prevented by medical staff, who in turn kept Justina against her parents’ will in the hospital.
After further consideration, the hospital staff accused the parents of abusing their daughter, and that her deteriorating condition resulted from Munchausen-like afflictions. Eventually, the state of Massachusetts placed the daughter in indefinite state custody.
Following a national uproar over this forced taking, through interviews and investigative reporting on social media, the Pelletiers told their story.
In previous columns, I commented on the dire consequences of government intervention in health care. Reading over the shameful details of this government-sponsored kidnapping, another concern arises. While the United Kingdom’s Daily Mail reported this story, and the New York Daily News related the struggles of the parents, too (with space to spare for unsparing criticism against NYC Mayor De Blasio’s liberal lunacy), the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times all but ignored the plight of two Connecticut parents standing up to the Big Government bureaucracy of Boston (and Beacon Hill foot-dragging). For two weeks, the LA Times has dished against a racist basketball team owner, and for months New York Times has been readying the electoral coronation of Hillary Clinton.
Their silence on Justina Pelletier has been one big media fail. This lack of coverage even inspired a Justina supporter to sponsor a Change.org petition pressing the New York Times to cover the story.
At least The Boston Globe reported that Justina should return to her parents’ custody within a month. Massachusetts’ Health and Human Services Secretary John Polanowicz tried to depict this frustrating and disturbing affair as a complex situation which has finally resolved itself into a streamlined process which will restore the young lady to her parents in a timely manner. In reality, the complications began with the government, and for the spokesman for the state agencies which have entangled the Connecticut family to claim difficulties in the matter is inexcusable.
Nevertheless, Justina is leaving Massachusetts (along with business and economic growth, but let’s stay focused on this health and safety issue for now). On one hand, the transfer of the Pelletiers’ daughter back to Connecticut is a step in the right direction, which will ease the costs slightly for parents Lou and Linda. Still, the parents should be outraged that they have lost custody of their daughter for so long, and even though she is returning to her home state, she is still not going home yet.
Justina’s next destination? The JRI Susan Wayne Center for Excellence in Thompson, CT. Justina’s father complained that the facility is still "very far away" from their home.
Justina is free from Massachusetts’ overreach, but the intrusions have not fully ended.
After calling the Connecticut Department of Health (message was not returned), I contacted the staff at the Susan Wayne Center. Because of the rising number of inquiries into Justina’s future, the center has contracted with the Ball Consulting Group to serve as the media contact regarding Justina’s transfer.
David Ball emailed me the following statement on behalf of JRI President Andy Pond:
Justice Resource Institute (JRI) operates programs across the Northeast that provide trauma-informed care to children and adults with complex behavioral and emotional challenges. Some of the individuals served by JRI have medical needs as well. We are proud of the work that we do every day to turn lives around and provide hope to those with even the most challenging diagnoses. JRI has a long history of working closely with families in difficult circumstances, with the goal of reunification. While JRI is not empowered to make placement decisions, our philosophy of family empowerment, our skilled staff, and our track record of family engagement make us a good choice for reunification. Our program respects the privacy of each individual we serve, which is afforded under the federal HIPAA law as well as other federal and state laws, and therefore we will not provide any specific information on any individual’s care or treatment.
Let’s hope that JRI follows through on their mission and sends Justina home.
The horrors of state-sponsored psychiatry in this sad account should dissuade further encroachments of the state into healthcare. By ignoring this tragedy of demeaning bureaucracy, the “mainstream media” only exposed its decreased and marginal utility to inform readers of all the news that’s fit to print, and should be read.
Not just the media, though, but Massachusetts lawmakers in Washington said nothing. Neither US Senators Ed Markey nor Elizabeth Warren plead for Justina Pelletier, yet Warren and Markey joined with their colleagues condemning the capture of 300 Nigerian school girls by Al-Qaeda affiliates. Readers should not forget this massive media failure, and voters in the Commonwealth should remember the Pelletier’s shabby treatment from their politicians come November.
Arthur Christopher Schaper is a teacher-turned-writer on topics both timeless and timely; political, cultural, and eternal. A life-long Southern California resident, Arthur currently lives in Torrance. Follow him on Twitter@ArthurCSchaper, reach him at [email protected], and read more at Schaper's Corner and As He Is, So Are We Ministries.
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