'We Are Trending Toward Progressive Hell': Blaze Readers React to Judge Ruling Justina Pelletier to Remain in State’s Custody

TheBlaze posted a story earlier this week about a Massachusetts judge who ruled that 15-year-old Justina Pelletier will remain in the custody ofthe Massachusetts Department of Children and Families.

The Pelletier’s have been in a custody battle over their daughter for more than a year. Justina was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease several years ago at Tufts Medical Center and put on a treatment plan to alleviate some of her symptoms. When her parents took her to Boston Children’s Hospital last year for complications with the flu, doctors there said she had somatoform disorder, a psychiatric disorder, instead. When the Pelletier’s disagreed with the somatoform diagnosis, they tried to take her back to Tufts and were accused of medical abuse. DCF took custody of Justina temporarily.

Judge Joseph Johnston granted “permanent” custody to the DCF.

Here's what some readers of TheBlaze had to say about the issue:

toto

I would have lost my mind by now. NO ONE could have come between me and my child. The government does NOT own my children. We are trending toward progressive hell, just a few more more bad court rulings and freedom will be a mere memory. There is no way bureaucrats should be allowed to decide a child’s future unless there is actual abuse. From everything I have read on this case, she has deteriorated while in the “care”of people other than her family. A tragedy.

UBETHECHANGE

I pray DCF does the right thing and hands her over to her parents. Keep the pressure on them.

slyfist

OMG! This is one of the MOST outrageous things that I have ever heard of! Seriously… So the IDIOT judge who lets the original doctors start treating the girl start treating her again but she was originally taken away from the parents when the new doctors disagreed with the original diagnosis. SO WHY, if she will be treated for the originally diagnosis again is she NOT being returned to her parents???? No wonder people are losing faith in this crap system we have in place. SHAME ON THAT JUDGE. SHAME ON YOU!

Spooky George

Why not a third opinion? Two hospitals arguing. Pure BS. Take her to the Cleveland Clinic or Johns Hopkins. There apparently isn’t a teaspoon of sense in New England.

Daddy Hawg

So reading this correctly, Justina’s parents noted marks on her stomach and brought them to the attention of her care providers; the next day she went to the emergency room. How is it that the care providers are doing a better job than her parents in that they did not notice the marks? What happens when this poor child passes away and all the DCF is going to say is “we’re sorry for your loss” with no accountability for the mistreatment of Justina. She should obviously be removed from whoever is caring for her now.

dee1889

This is insanity. There is no way out for this family. In this country once the DCF GESTAPO gets involved, judges do whatever they’re told. I’ve seen this before, but this is getting national attention. It happens every day in this country where we think we are above third-world tactics. So long as these DCF agencies have complete power and authority with absolutely no oversight for accountability and no legal culpability, this will continue to happen to innocent families. I've never seen a case where DCF will reverse a decision! If they ever did, it would set a precedent and they will never let that happen to their GESTAPO organizations.

MarR

This just makes me sick to my stomach! I can not express my disgust with this judge and the MA DCF. This is immoral and outrageous. I can’t wait till this family gets payback for this unjust treatment, this travesty!! Poor, poor Justina. I hope it’s not already too late to save her. This alone could make her give up and harm her health even more. These people make me SICK! Yes, I’m angry. I’m outraged. I’m frustrated! How can these people have this kind of power in what was once the freest country on the planet? I’m glad I don’t have any family in that state. I’d tell them to MOVE OUT.

Susiejo

Why is Jusina not given the chance to speak? Why does she not get a say in this? If this happened to me when I was 15 years old, I would be extremely angry! People choosing what happens to me and my life without considering my opinion — that is outrageous! She is 15 not 4! She is not a little child; she is a young lady and I think she should have a say in her life. People are treating her like she is property instead of a sentient being!

ORPatriot

Ridiculous! The family wants their daughter back. Justina wants to go back to her family. The parents haven’t been charged with child abuse. If the DCF truly believe the parents have abused their child, then they need to file official charges against them! No parent should have the state take their children unless that state is fully prepared to file criminal charges against said parent(s)! NO CHARGES, NO CRIME, NO CHILDREN RIPPED FROM THEIR FAMILIES!

mdy616

This is flat out state kidnapping, and I don’t care if a judge ruled on this. The family followed medical orders from a respected hospital, and the court disagreed with the respected hospital so they took the child away from the parents?! If they think Tufts is wrong, why aren’t they going after the doctors of Tufts and accusing them of malpractice instead of kidnapping this girl? The family did nothing wrong. This is a fight between two hospitals over a diagnosis and the court is taking it out on the parents. I would hire the group of ex-seals, CIA, Green Berets, etc. that Glenn asked us donate to. I would ask them to rescue this girl from this backward country we live in. We now need this type of group to rescue citizens of the USA from our own government!

Kelifer

Problem began with Boston Children’s Hospital, but now it’s in the hands of the Division of Child and Family services. Once it's in their hands, they are ENTIRELY responsible for the continuation of the abuse of this child by the system. I too have been told I have a mitochondrial disorder and have medical documents consistent with the diagnosis. The symptoms this girl is having are absolutely consistent with a mitochondrial disorder. Because it affects your muscles so severely, it isn’t surprising to me that without the proper treatment, she is paralyzed. I am sickened by what is happening to this family. I would also suggest they insist their daughter be genetically tested for a condition called periodic paralysis. Considering she is now paralyzed, the diagnosis needs to be considered. Many diseases are misdiagnosed for several years because of the lack of education on the part of some physicians and their inability to think like a detective and put ALL of the puzzle pieces together to create an accurate picture. In school our physicians are taught K.I.S.S. — Keep it Simple Stupid — because most diagnoses fall within a simple explanation. The problem is the philosophy of K.I.S.S. can also keep physicians from thinking outside the box. When a physician with an ego doesn’t know what you have, you “obviously” have a psychiatric disease. Time to picket BCH and DCF.

Kelifer

GLENN, get the geneticists on board to test this family. Just thought of something that could be done. If it were me, I would find a geneticist or multiple geneticists to run mitochondrial tests on the remaining sisters as well as the mother and possibly other females in the mother’s line. If this is a mitochondrial disorder, they may be able to confirm the diagnosis by testing these other females. Mitochondrial disorders are passed strictly through the female line, and other female members in this family may show similar genetic defects. Some carriers of mitochondrial diseases do not have symptoms or have very subtle symptoms and never seek help from a doctor, while others suffer severely. I realize it’s a stretch because there are still many mitochondrial genes that have yet to be defined, but it’s something that could be done without the need for approval from state authorities or this girl’s physicians — and in the end could very well prove that they have been telling the truth all along. Beat the system at its own game. This could lead to a new discovery in mitochondrial disease and return a child to her family.

StealthTSX

I may have missed it somewhere with all the coverage on The Blaze & Megyn Kelly, but have we heard at all what Justina wants? Perhaps she has asked the hospital and DCF to keep her away from her parents for some reason we don’t know about. I am a father of four, and I would be doing the same thing that Lou is doing. God, give him and Justina the strength they need to get through this. I'm just trying to think of any possible reason how DCF could be doing this and the judge could be OKing this. This is the only reason I can think of.

Hoosieratarian

I sure wish the media would put some effort into getting the other side of this story. Based on what has been presented, this decision seems asinine. In fact, it’s so blatantly wrong I'm inclined to believe there must be something else going on. Perhaps they have some proof of this girl being abused or perhaps the girl herself is telling them she doesn’t want to go home?

bear2mail

My daughter is still going through a similar nightmare in California. Family courts are being given incredible power over the rights of parents. In the Pelletier’s situation they have committed the unforgivable sin by embarrassing the courts in the public arena and therefore must be punished. What better way to punish them than to take their child? We know first-hand the fear and hopelessness this causes. As a nation we must stand together to fight this oppression. Stand with the Pelletier’s before you as a parent or grandparent find yourself in the same situation.

boston1773

What continues to blow me away about this case is that it is a difference of medical opinion regarding the diagnosis for this poor girl between doctors at Tufts and Boston Children’s. The parents cannot be faulted for following the original Tuft’s diagnosis, and there is no reason that the court is not qualified to decide which diagnosis is correct. The court should bring in independent doctors to provide their assessment, and return the girl to the parents with the stipulation that they proceed with medical care based on the consensus diagnosis. BCH, DCF and the courts all look really bad here. If the docs at BCH disagreed with the Tufts diagnosis, they should have had that discussion with those doctors, not taken the child into custody.

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