Justice for Justina

My parents like to have the television on almost constantly. I couldn’t care less what is happening on a flashing screen and would rather be occupied with what is happening in my tangible life. As a result, I normally don’t pay attention to any of it, but I heard about this the other day and just had to check it out:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/parents-accuse-mass-hospital-locking-daughter-psych-ward-article-1.1609998

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/justina-pelletier-mom-faints-decision-place-teen-foster-care-article-1.1701640

Justina Pelletier, a fifteen year-old girl in Massachusetts, has been kept in a psychiatric ward at Boston Children’s Hospital for over a year. Justina started out at Tufts Medical Center, where she was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease, which has a negative effect on the way cells produce energy and can easily destroy a person’s body. Last February some other doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital decided that the disease was all in Justina’s head—they were caused by a mental illness. When Lou and Linda, Justina’s parents, tried to take their daughter back to Tufts Boston Children’s Hospital called the cops. Justina has been at Boston Children’s Hospital ever since, the focal point of a custody and medical battle that her parents haven’t stopped fighting. They want their daughter back.

For the past year, Justina has been sitting in a psychiatric ward at Boston Children’s Hospital. Her parents were only allowed a single one-hour, supervised per week. They say their daughter’s condition has worsened since she was admitted to the psych ward. Her hair is falling out, she relies on a wheelchair for transportation, and her parents are not allowed to photograph her.

Justina was brought to Boston Children’s Hospital after her regular doctor at Tufts was unable to see her. The medical professional she saw said he did not believe in the diagnosis or treatment she had already been given and created his own medical plan for her without input from anyone else. When Justina’s parents refused to sign the plan and attempted to check their daughter out of the hospital the hospital responded by accusing the parents of over-medicating their child and refusing to give her the mental health therapy she needed.

Justina’s latest hearing was a few days ago. Linda Pelletier collapsed to the ground and was taken to the hospital after hearing that her daughter might be placed in foster care. She would reside in a different county and attend a special education and treatment program. Reporters say this decision may indicate that Justina is mentally stable. Her next hearing is scheduled for March 17^th.

I know I’m not the only one who thinks there are multiple things wrong with this situation. Land of the free, home of the brave, but we don’t get to decide what happens with our medical situations? How is releasing Justina so different than if I decide not to take ibuprofen for a headache or if I tell my dentist I don’t want to have my wisdom teeth removed? I really don’t understand.

I suppose this really hits home for me because of the similarities to my family. There is nothing like the love between a mother and her child. I see it most clearly with my mom and my fourteen-year-old brother, but I know she would do anything for me too. Obviously, Justina has two amazing parents who love her and care for her. She is the center of their world, but she has been wretched out of it. It’s an unfortunate situation because of Justina’s rapid decline, but these hospitals aren’t doing anything to help. I don’t think the government or these hospitals have the right to say what is best for a minor with two living, caring parents. Especially since her condition is rapidly deteriorating, if the parents agree, I think it would be best for Justina to spend her time at home, rather than a hospital or in foster care. Is one lost patient really going to bring a hospital down? Justina probably could if they don’t release her.

“The system has failed.”

Skippers Better Watch Out!

By this time, I think we all know that our public school system is flawed. However, I think this is just a little ridiculous:

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2014/02/ypsilanti_township_to_consider_2.html

Parents of so-called “chronically absent students” now have to pay for their student’s absence. Literally. An ordinance is already in place in Ypsilanti Community Schools. Michigan requires students between six and fifteen years old to be in school during regular school hours. The new ordinance that the Board of Trustees voted on at Tuesday night’s meeting would raise the age to seventeen. This change reflects a change in Michigan State Law. (I’m not sure exactly what happened at this board meeting in regard to this particular ordinance; it seems the biggest topic on the agenda was a number of changes in the leadership of Ypsilanti-Willow Run Board of Education) Kids who choose to skip school can only be ticketed if they are found on public property, but the new ordinance would allow officers to ticket kids who hide out in any residence, public or private. This offence is considered a misdemeanor. The first offence could cost the delinquent and his parents a $50 fine. The second offence is punishable by a fine of $100.

We all get it. Schools are under the jurisdiction of state governments. Schools aren't what they used to be (and they certainly aren't as competitive worldwide as they need to be). People think that in order to learn kids need to be in school so it’s against the law for kids to NOT be in school when they’re supposed to be.

I still see some problems with this.

How do you define “chronically absent?”  Is this for the whole school day or simply for certain classes? What happens to the kids who drop out on their eighteenth birthday? Is all that effort lost, or do teenagers have to start paying their own fines? What about those kids who are red-shirted and don’t start school until after they’re six years old? And about investigating the location of students on private property…is it just me or does that sound a little like an unreasonable search/seizure? (Fourth Amendment)

I have had late arrival all year and I love it, not only because I have the opportunity to take a dual enrollment class at the community college and sleep in a bit more every morning, but because there is no traffic when I get to school, and if there is I get to laugh at the students who skipped first period. It’s hilarious.  

Moreover, I believe that school just isn't for everyone. As much as we try to have a program or two for everyone to join and love, with the amount of budget cuts that are upon us, “extra” programs that students live for are the first to go. One cannot force a person to endure and participate in something five days a week that they do not enjoy and are not the least bit passionate about. Graduation requirements are not realistic for some students who are not motivated and not gifted in the academic ways of school. This also puts a lot of pressure on the teachers who are graded in a large part by the performance of their students, both in their class grades and on standardized tests and exams at the end of the semester. Placing consequences on parents for the actions of their children is somewhat unfair when they reach the point of independence and defiance. I can see two really bad situations come out of this. One is where the parents simply cannot pay for their student’s actions and that puts the whole family in a bad place. The other involves a student skipping school for a reason other than to have fun and when an abusive parent finds out that they now have to pay…things don’t end well for the student.

“Sound Basic Education”

Who Are We to Judge Ugly?

I’ll be the first to admit, when I first saw this picture I was thinking a few things that weren’t exactly positive:

Who is this?? An advocate for an organization that helps feed the Starving Children of Africa? A survivor of domestic abuse?

Answer: None of the above. This is Lizzie Velasquez. As I learned, she is just like every single one of us, but she was born with an unnamed syndrome that doesn’t allow her to gain any weight. Ever. She can eat Twinkies all night and be the same sixty-five pounds that she was the morning before. It sounds like heaven, right? Well, there you’d be wrong again. Lizzie has been the victim of bullying her entire life. It is her response to this bullying that has gained her attention.

http://www.ryot.org/worlds-ugliest-woman-teaches-beauty-is/533737

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/texas-woman-gain-weight-bullied/story?id=17228529

Lizzie lived a very normal childhood. When doctors told her parents their daughter was born with this syndrome that left her with the inability to have the normal layer of fat that most humans do, they said they wanted to see her, to take her home, and to love her. And so they did. Before kindergarten, Lizzie had no idea that she was different in any way because of how naturally her family treated her. Upon entering kindergarten, however, Lizzie soon realized that she was different. She recalls other students looking at her like she was some sort of monster. The rest of her years were full of the same reactions: stares and hatred. At one point, some classmates of hers posted an eight-second video of Lizzie on YouTube, characterizing Lizzie as the “World’s Ugliest Woman.” Lizzie had much the same reaction as any teenage girl: she cried her eyes out. However, instead of killing herself like some of her peers had requested, Lizzie decided to turn the situation around. She continued to live life, set goals, and achieve success.

After reading the two articles above, listening to her TedX Talk, and visiting her personal website (http://www.aboutlizzie.com) my opinions quickly changed. Lizzie is an awesome woman, and I hope many of you will agree. Not only did she defeat the bullying that, at one point, seemed to consume her life, she now works as a motivational speaker. She inspires those who think negatively about their bodies and those who are dealing with their fair share of bullying.

Bullying. Remind me again why this is a problem. Why do we feel it necessary to taunt and tease others to the point of depression and suicide? Bullying is against the law in 49 states (Montana is the only state that does not have an anti-bullying law), and still there are news stories of middle and high schoolers taking their own lives because of harsh comments whispered under another’s breath or criticism online or judgmental text messages. Just last week there was an eleven-year-old boy in Raleigh who tried to hang himself from the bunk beds in his room because he was teased at school and after school care for liking “My Little Pony.”

Someone’s always going to blame the government. (All these snow days and the school we’re going to be making up when the weather is nice? That’s Obama’s fault.) Citizens are calling for stricter anti-bullying laws to cover ALL the types of bullying and permissions to make punishments more severe. Others say that free speech, no matter how hurtful, is one of our first amendment rights that can’t be tampered with. These people see the fact that many of these children are the center of their parent’s world, and they have difficulty dealing with any situation that does not go their way. The children who are being bulled need to “man up,” and deal with it. So far, no federal anti-bullying laws exist, though some cases of bullying overlap with discriminatory harassment, which people are protected against by law. Most state laws define bullying as teasing, social exclusion, threat, intimidation, stalking, physical violence, theft, harassment, humiliation, or destruction of property. Cyberbullying is doing any of the above by use of any electronic communicator. (Source: http://www.stopbullying.gov/laws/key-components/index.html) However, only a few states have measures to punish bullying done by juveniles.

Someone’s always going to blame the government, but in this case, I think it’s the parent’s fault.

Children are amazing creatures. They easily learn from examples, and they can pick up on feelings and emotions of those around them. Those two traits combine to make a recipe for disaster. When a mom at a supermarket is less than friendly toward the old classmate she runs into, her daughter is watching and listening and learning. When Mom thought she was picking out PopTarts, she was actually learning a lesson about hate, one that will follow her back into the classroom. And when that young daughter grows up and runs into an old classmate at the supermarket…you see where I’m going.

The lesson here is love. The lack of love as seen in the form of bullying is not something that the government can fix simply. Rather, the love the world needs is a lesson we can learn from Lizzie Velasquez. People are not defined by their outward appearances or their interests in different aspects of culture, but by their goals, successes, and accomplishments. We all have the choice to let the people who speak negatively about us affect us in the ways they intended or to ignore them and live our lives, but we also have a responsibility not to become the person who tears down.

“Brave starts here.”

Props to Mac

As y’all might know, I’m not “into” a lot of today’s culture. I don’t watch television or go to the movies every single weekend. I don’t drink coffee and I’d much rather be reading or doing something with my hands then sitting inside and passing my time in front of some sort of screen. What I do love, however, is music. Though I am not musically talented, per say, I love to listen and sing to whatever is on the radio, and I was super excited when the Grammy’s rolled around the other week. After going to bed at ten o’clock because my brother needed a ride to school the next morning I spent plenty of time watching YouTube videos and reading articles about what went on. What I saw was amazing, and I think this about sums it up:

http://seattletimes.com/html/musicnightlife/2022787404_grammyanalysis1xml.html

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis...what a year they had, and what a Sunday night. The Seattle Times says that their song, “Same Love” set the standard for the Grammy’s, held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday January 26, 2014. Their performance, along with that of Sara Bareilles and Carole King, Lorde, Kacey Musgraves, and Hunter Hays sent a clear message, all the while “rais[ing] questions about gender, justice, class and staying true to yourself.” Macklemore’s performance was one of the last, but one of the most lasting. His single, “Same Love,” was the fourth single released off of his album “The Heist” but didn’t take off until this summer, following the successes of “Thrift Shop” and “Can’t Hold Us,” which are both about much less controversial material. Still, the subject matter did not hinder the single’s success, taking the #11 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and the #1 spots in both New Zealand and Australia. Inspired by the story of a gay teenager who took his life, Macklemore wrote his own take on the continuing battle for gay rights. His song proclaims, “I might not be the same, but that’s not important. No freedom ‘till we’re equal. Damn right, I support it.”

During the performance, Queen Latifah emerged onto the stage, carrying out a ceremony to unite 33 gay and straight coupled in marriage (34 couples, according to other articles). Madonna then joined the party singing her hit, “Open Your Heart.” The couples exchanged rings, shed tears, and sang along. Macklemore’s own sister took part in the ceremony, giving herself to her boyfriend.

While the fight for Gay Rights continues, support is not coming from everywhere. Gay marriage is one of the few topics the Federal Government will not address fully, giving the states the right to decide whether or not gay marriage will be allowed. As of December 20, 2013, seventeen states and Washington DC have established the freedom to marry same-sex couples. (North Carolina is not one of those states.) Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, and Wisconsin offer a more limited civil union or domestic partnership.

Personally, I’m with Macklemore on this one. We are all sinners, but we all have something to bring to this world. It pains my heart to know that some wonderful human beings are hiding the greatness within themselves because they’re afraid of being judged by their peers, that some kids would rather take themselves out of the world than tell the people who brought them into the world who they really are. While I have been taught that “marriage” is between a man, a woman, and God, I think society has turned it into something else, and that the marriage we know today needs to be available to everyone. When my grandkids look to their history books and see gay marriage the same way I look at my history books and see slavery and civil rights, I want to be able to say that I supported the way of the future, that I loved everyone I came into contact with regardless of their beliefs. I know I still have a far way to go, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop trying.

Macklemore took home four Grammy’s last month. He may have apologized for some of them, but he never apologized for writing about things that mattered to him. In the process, I hope he changed some views. He definitely had an effect on mine.

“Live on, and be yourself.”