Alert: Unbelievable Rights for Children in Foster Care!

Is this a precursor for a “Child’s Bill of Rights’ for all children? Watch Out!

AB 43: After I read this bill I said to myself, “Who in the world would be willing to be a foster parent under these conditions.” Perhaps the answer to that is only people who are in it for the money, for indeed the bill’s logical conclusion is that it denies a foster parent the right to be a parent, to guide, direct, limit, and discipline a child. What if you as a foster parent not only havefoster children, but your own children in your home. Would you be forced to have two sets of rules, creating resentment from your own children, because the foster children under this bill essentially have no rules? Shall we do away with parents and just have “physical need” providers?

What parent who really cares about a child would have a home with unlimited freedom for a child? Please read a more comprehensive analysis below.

Hearing: Monday, March 7, 1:30 pm, Room 3138. You can watch and listen to the hearings on your computer at: http://www.leg.state.nv.us/audio/AudioVideo.cfm

Message: Vote No on AB43, No one will want to be foster parent.

Phone Message Center: You can leave a message for all members of the Assembly Health and Human Services Committee and/or all members of the Assembly or ask to be connected to a specific legislator.

Reno/Sparks/Carson: 684-6789, Las Vegas (toll free) 486-2626

Toll Free: 1-800-995-9080 Assembly Fax: 775-684-8533

Assembly Health and Human Services Committee: (Democrats) Chairman Sheila Leslie (Reno), Assemblymen Kathy McClain (Las Vegas), Susan Gerhardt (Henderson), William Horne (Las Vegas), Ellen Koivisto (Las Vegas), Bonnie Parnell (Carson), Peggy Pierce (Las Vegas), (Republicans) Sharron Angle (Incline-Reno), Joe Hardy (Boulder City), Garn Mabey (Las Vegas), Valerie Weber (Las Vegas).

Email for Committee: sleslie@asm.state.nv.us; kmcclain@asm.state.nv.us; sgerhardt@asm.state.nv.us; whorne@asm.state.nv.us; ekoivisto@asm.state.nv.us; bparnell@asm.state.nv.us; ppierce@asm.state.nv.us; sangle@asm.state.nv.us; jhardy@asm.state.nv.us; gmabey@asm.state.nv.us; vweber@asm.state.nv.us;

Because I believe there’s a good chance it will pass out of committee and go to the whole Assembly, I have listed all their email address except for the committee after the analysis.

AB43 says, “Every child placed in a foster home has the right to:”

“Be free from Corporal punishment”, defined in the NRS as “the intentional infliction of physical pain, including, without limitation, hitting, pinching or striking.” Does this prohibit spanking or a slap on the hand out?
“Not be locked in any room, building or premises.” Does that mean using “time out” to discipline is out as well?

“Receive medical care, including, without limitation, dental vision and mental health services.” Does that include abortion? Contraception? Experimental surgery? Sex change? Can you provide for your own children medical care without limitation?

“Attend religious services and activities of his choice.” What about ocultic or satanic religions? What about attending a homosexual church like Metropolitan Community Church?

What happens to your children when you require them to attend church with you and there are different rules for the foster children in your home?

“Participate in extracurricular, cultural and personal enrichment activities which are consistent with the age and developmental level of the child.” Who decides what is consistent with the age and development of the child? The parent, the social worker, the counselor, the child? What about activities to which a parent might object? A rock concert full of drugs, sex and violence? A party with underage drinking? An activity, which is appropriate for your 16 year old, but not the 12 year old? Will the child report the parent to the state?
“Have social contacts with persons outside the foster care system, including without limitation, teachers, members of a church, mentors and friends.” What does without limitation mean? Does that mean you can’t tell your child they can’t see a particular friend because they are a bad influence on them? Or because its 2am and time to be in bed? Because they use drugs, profanity, pornography, or alcohol? Because they are members of a gang and are involved in violence? What about forbidding your daughter to see an older man who you are concerned is only interested in bedding her? Is that what without limitation means?
“Be free from unreasonable searches of his personal belongings.” Does that mean a child could bring a gun, or drugs, or alcohol, or firecrackers, or pornography into your home and you could do nothing about it? Will they be reporting you to the social worker?
The last item says the child can’t be “discriminated against or harassed on the basis of his actual or perceived race ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, mental or physical disability, or exposure to the human immunodeficiency virus.” If your family has a particular religious belief are you denied your right to believe and practice that belief while that child is in your home? What if you say something about believing that marriage should only be between and man and a woman? Are you discriminating against or harassing the child?
You can access the whole bill at: http://www.leg.state.nv.us/73rd/Reports/

Do foster parents have any rights to guide, direct, discipline a child or are they only to provide a place for the child to eat and sleep? Who is responsible when a child without limits or discipline gets into trouble? When foster parents have no authority—they cannot have any responsibility for children who are out of control.

God put parents in charge and gave them the responsibility for raising their children. Is this the precursor for “Rights of Every Child” in our state? Shall we do away with parents and just have “physical need” providers?

All members of the Assembly except those on the committee are listed below. (Email addresses have first initial and last name.

fallen@asm.state.nv.us; banderson@asm.state.nv.us; marberry@asm.state.nv.us; katkinson@asm.state.nv.us; bbuckley@asm.state.nv.us; jcarpenter@asm.state.nv.us; cchristensen@asm.state.nv.us; jclaborn@asm.state.nv.us; mconklin@asm.state.nv.us; mdenis@asm.state.nv.us; hgansert@asm.state.nv.us; cgiunchigliani@asm.state.nv.us; pgoicoechea@asm.state.nv.us; tgrady@asm.state.nv.us; lhettrick@asm.state.nv.us; jhogan@asm.state.nv.us; bholcomb@asm.state.nv.us; mkirkpatrick@asm.state.nv.us; mmanendo@asm.state.nv.us; jmarvel@asm.state.nv.us; bmccleary@asm.state.nv.us; hmortenson@asm.state.nv.us; hmunford@asm.state.nv.us; joceguera@asm.state.nv.us; gohrenschall@asm.state.nv.us; dparks@asm.state.nv.us; rperkins@asm.state.nv.us; bseale@asm.state.nv.us; rsherer@asm.state.nv.us; ssibley@asm.state.nv.us; dsmith@asm.state.nv.us;

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