families at the border.
Christian
leaders say otherwise.
“While
protecting our borders is important, we can and must do
better
as a government, and as a society, to find other ways to
ensure
that safety,” Cardinal Daniel Nicholas DiNardo, president
of
the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement.”
Separating
babies from their mothers is not the answer and is
immoral.”-
cnn news
Mr.Trump can blame the Democrats and Mr. Sessions can justify his deplorable
detainment by quoting the Bible but separating immigrant children from their
families is just plain immoral. The
stories of bereft toddlers crying inconsolably
for their mothers,
children horribly frightened with separation anxiety,
and
babies being taken from their mothers while nursing, are
institutional
child abuse. Below is the same reaction from
The
American Academy of Pediatrics:
"In a newly released policy
statement, the Academy urges that
immigrant and refugee children be treated with
dignity and
respect, with care that supports their health
and well-being.
Amid turmoil caused by new federal executive
orders targeting
immigrants and refugees and calling for
vast expansions to the
detention of
immigrants, the American Academy of Pediatrics has
called for the U.S.
government to protect vulnerable children who
are fleeing violence and poverty from
being traumatized.
Immigrant children seeking safe haven in the
United States should
never be placed in detention facilities,
regardless of whether they
arrive alone or
are accompanied by an adult, according to a new
policy statement published by the American
Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP). Children should never be
separated from their
families, according to the statement.
The policy statement recommends that immigrant
children be treated
with dignity and respect, and urges that they
not be exposed to
conditions that may further harm or traumatize
them. The statement,
issue of Pediatrics
(online March 13) reports that the Department of
Homeland Security facilities for temporary
housing of immigrants do
not meet basic standards regarding the
care of children in residential
settings.
"Many of the immigrant children arriving to
this country from our
southern border are victims of unspeakable
violence, persecution,
and abject poverty," said Fernando
Stein, MD, FAAP, president of
the
AAP.
"From the
moment they are placed in U.S. custody, they deserve
a warm, safe and nurturing environment. They
should receive
health care that meets basic standards."
The AAP policy statement, "Detention of
Immigrant Children," is
being published at a time of increased
fear, anxiety, and uncertainty
among immigrant families. The AAP opposes
the recent call for major
expansions in family
detention, among other actions, that have been
included in Executive Orders signed by
President Trump.
"We are hearing reports about children who
have been detained, even
for a short time, who are showing symptoms
of post-traumatic stress
disorder, anxiety, depression and behavioral
problems," said Marsha
Griffin, MD, FAAP,
co-author of the policy statement and co-chair of the
AAP Immigrant Health
Special Interest Group. "There is no evidence
that spending any time in detention is safe for
children. Parents, too,
may be traumatized by the isolating
conditions, making it difficult for
them to respond to their
children's needs."
-The American
Academy of Pediatrics
I urge everyone to join me by emailing the President to
protest this
incredibly inhumane and abusive treatment of immigrant
children.
