By A. MILLAR

Kerry Robertson, 17, and Mark McDougall, 25, haven’t broken any law. But they are on the run from the authorities, and from their home in Dunfermline, Scotland.

Less than eight weeks ago the couple were excitedly planning their wedding. They had booked church ceremony for the 5th of September, a Saturday. She had already chosen and bought her wedding dress. They had bought the rings, and invited 20 guests. Two days before the big day, however, social services told them that their wedding would have to be canceled. Fife Council wrote a letter, objecting to the marriage, to Dunfermline Register Office, who consequently refused to marry the couple.

Social Services claims Kerry cannot understand what marriage means, because she has learning difficulties. They are mild, it seems. She is able to read and write, and is going to college to “catch up.” Her partner Mark told the Daily Mail: “’I didn’t even know she had learning difficulties until we’d been dating for two months.”

Kerry is 29 weeks pregnant – with a boy they have named Ben. “Although Ben isn’t born yet,” Kerry says, “I already love my baby and know I will be a good mum. Mark and I talk to him inside me every day and tell him we love him. We’ve already bought him clothes and my cousin, who recently had a baby, has handed down a beautiful crib for him.”

Social Services say that Kerry – a college student – isn’t intelligent enough to bring up her child with Mark. They plan to allow the couple only a few hours with Ben after he is born. Then Ben will be taken from Kerry and Mark, and placed with foster parents.

Willie Rennie is the MP (LibDems) for Dunfermline and West Fife. I’m sure he would love a polite letter or email drawing his attention to the plight of this family. He can be reached at:

Fax: country code +020 7219 2810
Email: renniew@parliament.uk

A. Millar is the British correspondent for The Brussels Journal (www.brusselsjournal.com).

By MAXINE OBERLE

Parental Rights Under Attack

Would you ever have guessed that a child could be taken from your home because you make them attend church with you too often? Or that your child’s babysitters could gain custody of your children as co-parents? Well, you can see those stories and more here: Parentalrights.org

The scary thing is that we can clearly see a disintegration in the courts respect for parents as they pass legislation that allows separation between children and parents when kids need their parents most. For example, the parental notification laws that state a minor child can walk into an abortion clinic without any parental notification what so ever and obtain an abortion.

Homeschooling is also under attack. While some state laws have remained family friendly, some states make it very difficult to homeschool your own children. The state has every right to determine what you may or may not teach your own children, but if you have a problem with what they are learning in public school – well too bad. Public school is becoming nothing more than an indoctrination into the liberal way of thinking, there is no balance.

I will never forget when my son came home from school in first grade one day and had done something to get scolded about. He immediately began to instruct me on how I can’t swat his bottom otherwise he could call social services and I’d get into trouble. Furthermore I could not raise my voice, or punish him “sesivley” (excessively). Well, I don’t remember what the offense was that he was getting into trouble for, but I do remember grabbing the phone that was next to me and telling him that he might as well call, because I was the mom and if I thought he needed discipline that is what he would get. Further, I explained to him that it would be HIM getting taken out of our home, not me. Well, that was a little more information that the teachers had let the kids know, and he thought he might like to stick around a while longer.  The scary thing is that if he had really called, I’m sure it would have meant at least a visit or two from a social worker, a record filed somewhere, and a lot of pain in the butt stuff over something silly.

We have parents being told they are neglecting their children because they did not take them to the hospital after they bumped their head and a nosy neighbor thought they knew better than the parent who happened to be a trained paramedic how bad the bump was. See the story here, or here.
After reading that story I was thinking a few things:

A. Sounds just like a dad fed up with people putting their nose in where it didn’t belong.
B. Sounds like someone who wants to protect their family and rights from exactly what ended up happening.
C. Wonder what the sheriff, social workers etc. would say if the tables were turned and the dad had beat down the kid’s door and forced him to go to the hospital against his will?

We need to stand up for our rights as parents. Our right to raise our children with the morals and values we see fit.

Pay attention, and speak out to your representatives. Let them know you are tired of your rights being pulled away inch by inch.

MAXINE OBERLE is a converted Catholic, homeschooling mom of 5, trying to make sense of politics, religion and life in general. Blog: Pieces of ~Me~