e-mail
A state rallies behind a foster teen in her hope to be adopted. A 15 year old girl named Brittney in Las Vegas was placed in foster care after she was paralyzed in a vicious knife attack that killed her younger 3 year old sister.
The foster teen has blossomed in the care of her foster parents. She has requested to be adopted by her foster parents. The District Court level has denied her request and the Nevada Supreme Court will be hearing her requested in the near future.
The teen’s biological mother has also denied her daughter’s request while serving time in prison for a conviction charge of felony child neglect. A 3 year old toddler was stabbed to death while Brittney 13 years old at the time of the attack was paralyzed from the waist down after being left in a RV park alone. A couple came in the home because a meth deal gone wrong and stabbed the two young girls. The allegation was that the parents sold fake drugs, which they deny.
While the pleas of the teen have been pushed aside in the legal system, the people of Nevada are behind the teen. Local people are becoming inspired by the young lady’s courage and desire for a future including foster parents that have come to love her. Nevada has a chance to improve their poor image of child welfare and place the needs of this foster teen first.
Shouldn’t a teenager have a say in her future when it is a step that is a benefit to her future? I do not see who it benefits to tell a foster teen that is facing life long challenges that she does not deserve to be adopted. Why should a teen girl have to wait for her mother to get out of prison for child abuse-neglect to then see if she will decide to become the parent this teen needs? This child suffered 20 stab wounds trying to shield her baby sister. She watched as her baby sister was murdered in front of her. Her pain that will last her entire life must be unbearable.
Brittney has received a settlement for her injuries and her future care in the sum of $5.5 million. Could this be a reason her mom does not want to let her go?
More reading:
I sure do remember this story! How tragic that the ‘powers-that-be’ will NOT put the child’s best interest first. I bet she won’t “come into” the financial settlement until she’s 18 – at which time she can request and be granted an adult adoption. But I sure hope she is able to get the permanency she wants, needs and deserves before then!