When we think of a typical American family, we think of a hard working mom and dad, happy kids, finically stable as well as emotionally stable, and a very close family relationship. The sad truth is not many families are like the typical American family. There are families whose parents are force to give up their kids to child services, because they cannot afford to feed the hungry mouths of their children. In “Foster Care and the Politics of Compassion,” Nanette Schorr informs and persuades the audience about the child-protective system and the stigma behind it all. Schorr illustrates a case where a mother and her three kids were cast aside from their abusive husband and father. The mother, a young and healthy woman, was stuck trying to
…show more content…
The start of the essay gave a strong beginning and has had me feeling some sort of sympathy towards the woman who had gone through such events. Since Schorr is a family law attorney, I believed her expertise was fit for the topic and she has included her aspect of the system throughout her years of work. What struck me to agree with the author, was when Schorr said “it is not for the state to decide what constitutes an enlightened upbringing-” and “the cost and pain of family separation should be – but aren’t – considered before a child is placed in foster care. I find that it is unfair for the state to just rip apart a family because the mother, father or both, cannot find a job to support his or her children or because they cannot find someone to look after their child. If the parents are healthy, and love their child, then the state should not have a reason to take away the child and place them in a foster home. Instead, I think the state should help the mother, father or parents find jobs so they can support their child. She has advocated that “the court must respect the rights of the parents by ensuring that caseworkers are making reasonable efforts,” (406). I do agree that the rights of the parents should be acknowledged and that the case workers should put in more efforts into helping the family adjust for the sake of the child, or
The start of the essay gave a strong beginning and has had me feeling some sort of sympathy towards the woman who had gone through such events. Since Schorr is a family law attorney, I believed her expertise was fit for the topic and she has included her aspect of the system throughout her years of work. What struck me to agree with the author, was when Schorr said “it is not for the state to decide what constitutes an enlightened upbringing-” and “the cost and pain of family separation should be – but aren’t – considered before a child is placed in foster care. I find that it is unfair for the state to just rip apart a family because the mother, father or both, cannot find a job to support his or her children or because they cannot find someone to look after their child. If the parents are healthy, and love their child, then the state should not have a reason to take away the child and place them in a foster home. Instead, I think the state should help the mother, father or parents find jobs so they can support their child. She has advocated that “the court must respect the rights of the parents by ensuring that caseworkers are making reasonable efforts,” (406). I do agree that the rights of the parents should be acknowledged and that the case workers should put in more efforts into helping the family adjust for the sake of the child, or