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All the talk of a financial bailout has overshadowed a bizarre story out of Nebraska that I find disturbing. Last night, a man left his nine children at a hospital under Nebraska's Safe Haven Law. Here in Utah we have a law that allows people to give up infants without fear of prosecution, but in Nebraska parents can abandon children up to the age of 19 if they leave them at a state-run hospital.
What? It's one of those stories that you're sure you didn't hear right, because there's no way to make sense of it.
This man walked away from five boys and four girls ranging in age from 1 to 17. Nebraska's Director of Children and Family Services says there have been other cases similar to this one. He says in practically every one, the reason has been parents feel overwhelmed and don't want to continue the journey with their kids. Plus, he says two unrelated boys ages 11 and 15 were dropped-off yesterday at another hospital.
As a parent of two boys, there have been moments when I have felt overwhelmed. There have been moments, when they've been bickering, that I was sure aliens had taken over their bodies. There was even one time that I got so exasperated that I had to go for a drive to take a breather. But, how do you get to the point that you want to give your children away just like some possession that you are tired of having around.
I'm trying to imagine this dad walking into a hospital and saying "I'm done. This isn't working for me any more." Can you imagine the reaction of the healthcare workers who were dealing with traumas in their emergency room and now had nine children to help? Can you imagine the cost to that state to now take care of these children?
There are so many questions about this case that we'll probably never know the answers to because this man did nothing criminally wrong. Where is their mom? Why did he have nine children in the first place? Is this man destitute? What makes him think others should now take over his responsibilities?
I'm sure the intent of Nebraska Lawmakers was to make sure children could be left in a safe place rather than be abused or killed by their parents, but these children have still suffered irreparable harm by being emotionally and physically abandoned. Plus, society now pays the price for their care, while their father faces no consequences for abandoning his responsibilities.
