A new lawsuit brought by the ACLU of Vermont and Pregnancy Justice alleges that Vermont’s Department for Children and Families keeps a secret calendar tracking the pregnancies of women they deem “high risk” and “unfit parents” in order to take custody of their newborns. In fact, the suit lays out how DCF took steps to obtain custody of one Vermont women’s baby by declaring her mentally unfit before she even gave birth and without a formal mental health evaluation. The woman, identified in the suit as A.V., wasn’t evaluated until after they took her newborn away. What’s more, DCF—without her knowledge—even tried to get a court order to force A.V. into a c-section while she was in labor. From the Associated Press: “She had no idea that while she was in labor, hospital officials were relaying updates to the state—including details of her cervix dilation—and had won temporary custody of the fetus.” A.V. had her baby taken from her upon birth, before she was allowed to hold or even touch her child. ACLU senior staff attorney Harrison Stark says, “This case is so egregious in so many ways that it should really shock the conscience of any Vermonter who cares about personal autonomy or reproductive liberty.”
Don’t ever be lulled into thinking that ‘pro-choice’ states are immune from doing scary shit. And boy oh boy is this story scary.
Excerpted from my newsletter:
