I have always been one of the harshest critics of Child Protective Service, or CPS. Time after time they act as though they think things like spanking are much more heinous crimes than sexual assault. They have removed children from their parents based on nothing more than a phone call from a meddling busybody reporting that the parents spank their kids. In moments, an armed SWAT team arrives on the scene and forcibly steals the child from his or her parents. While at the same time, a child can make an outcry of sexual abuse, a CPS approved counselor confirms that the claim is legitimate, and a doctor confirms there are physical signs of abuse, but CPS refuses to act citing a lack of evidence.
That being established, they (CPS) got it right when they removed 463 children from the Yearning for Zion Ranch, a polygamist compound in El Dorado Texas. Even though it now appears that the call that prompted the raid was a hoax, the conditions fond by the investigators not only warranted, but justified the kids’ removal. Anytime you find girls as young as 12 or 13 being forced to marry grown men and forced to father their children, something has to be done! And it was.
I still will evaluate CPS on a case-by-case basis. When they get it right, I will give them the credit they deserve. When they mess up, I will take them to task as always. As a father, I am all for going to great lengths to ensure the safety of children. I am not however, at all in favor of trampling on parents’ rights while doing so. I am not in favor of abandoning common sense. Sadly, in most cases, common sense and CPS don’t go together. Maybe we need an organization called Parents Rights Protection Services. Just a thought.
Jim Chitty
Writer/Columnist/Blogger
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