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Added into this tragic fray are the state politicians . . . who may want to make political hay of this tragedy . . .
STATE LAWMAKERS WANT TO QUESTION DSS COMMISSIONER
Author: Michael Levenson, Globe Correspondent,
Date: Sunday, January 22, 2006
Page: A1
(FRONT PAGE, BOSTON SUNDAY GLOBE, u/ the fold)Section: (continued in) Metro/Region (section B, page B7)
Several Beacon Hill lawmakers say they will summon Social Services Commissioner Harry Spence to explain the department's oversight of Haleigh Poutre, 11, who has been on life support since she was allegedly beaten by her (now deceased) adoptive mother (Holli Strickland) and (now criminally charged non-biological) stepfather (Jason Strickland).
(State l)awmakers want to question (DSS Commissioner) Spence about why he approved a decision by the Department of Social Services (DSS) last fall to seek court permission to remove the Westfield girl from life support. Last week, after the (Massachusetts) Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruled that life support could be withdrawn, the DSS disclosed that it had already seen hopeful signs that Haleigh might be emerging from her vegetative state. "We are crossing all kinds of legal and ethical issues here," (state) Representative Deborah D. Blumer said yesterday. "It really is very disturbing."
Blumer, a Framingham Democrat, said Haleigh's case points to longstanding problems in a (state) department (DSS) with a caseload of 40,000 children and nearly 10,000 in its custody. Blumer said the (Massachusetts House) Committee on Children and Families, of which she is a member, is concerned (DSS) is overburdened and prone to miss signs that children are being abused.
. . . snip . . .
Several lawmakers said they have confidence in (DSS Commissioner) Spence's leadership. "Commissioner Spence is one of the most sincere commissioners I've ever met," said Representative Marie J. Parente, a Milford Democrat and former foster child who chairs the (Massachusetts House) Foster Care Committee, an ad-hoc panel that has already requested a meeting with Spence. "He's absolutely a sincere man who is in a tough job and if we're going to ask people to be removed it's the frontline workers who made the decisions."
. . . snip . . .
No dates have been set for lawmakers' (committee) meetings with (DSS Commissioner) Spence. (State representative) Parente said lawmakers had not decided whether to open the (Massachusetts House Foster Care Committee) meetings to the public, but said they want to hold (DSS) accountable.
. . . more at . . .
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/01/22/state_lawmakers_want_to_question_dss_commissioner?mode=PF.
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The sad and tragic life of Haleigh is now being tossed into the political fray of state politics.
It is difficult, at best, to know whether state politicians will merely hold committee meetings (hearings), pointing fingers at this or that state agency for dropping the ball, and then do nothing about it or next to nothing about as is the history regarding such past instances. All the while using the name of the current child-victim.
The bottom line in all, as we in the "system" know, is that the Department of Social Services (DSS) lacks money and personnel to appropriately oversee that which DSS is legally charged w/ fulfilling --
protection of children. Added to that mix is state appointed lawyers who are called upon to represent these indigent individuals in "state intervention" cases without adequate pay from the state to cover costs of such representation which has not been appropriately addressed by the state legislature. The legislature may attempt from time to time to re-arrange the deck chairs of the sinking ship, but to no avail. It's a poorly funded system waiting for tragedy, yet, again and again.
Here, particularly, it is hoped that state politicians will not sully their own religious beliefs by attempting to interject them into our state laws regarding the
right-to-die-with-dignity, which could be fanned into another Terri Schiavo situation by unscrupulous lawmakers as was done in Florida and upon the floor of our federal Congress.
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