Whose kids are they?

This article should scare you. It scares me.

What would you do if three armed Sheriff's deputies showed up at your door, demanding that you surrender your six week old child because of a court order that opposes your sincerely held religious beliefs? What if they held him in their custody for six days, and your only recourse was to compromise on your beliefs? What if some enraged judge ruled that he was to be placed in foster care, not because he was in immediate danger (as the law requires), but because she disagreed with your religious beliefs and thought that *she* knew what was best for your own child?

This nightmare scenario played out this week in Omaha for Josue and Maray Anaya and their six week old son, Joel. Their offense, which apparently warranted having their child forcefully taken from their custody by agents of the state, was to refuse to submit their newborn son to the state's mandatory Newborn Screening program. The screening program detects a variety of genetic disorders and requires blood to be drawn from the baby. The Anayas' religious beliefs include a literal interpretation of certain Old Testament passages that state that the "life" of a person is in their blood. Acting according to their beliefs, the Anayas refused to submit their son to the state mandated testing.

This was, at least according to one judge, enough of an "offense" to have their baby taken from them. Furthermore, thanks to grandstanding and agenda-driven actions by Douglas County Juvenile Court Judge Elizabeth Crnkovich, it was enough to keep him away from his family for nearly a week. Continue reading this post »