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. During this time, the mother was not allowed to breastfeed her child because Judge Crnkovich didn't approve of the mother "popping in" to the foster home to breastfeed the child. This particular part of her ruling, in a case that had nothing to do with breastfeeding, came as part of a tirade that was provoked by Anaya's lawyer, Jeff Downing, bringing it to the court's attention that the child needed to nurse at a specific time, which happened to fall during the hearing. Having been provided with this information, Crnkovich ordered that workers with the Nebraska Health and Human Services Department take the baby from the courthouse, feed him, and "not bring him back."

Obviously not sympathetic to the parents' wishes, Crnkovich ruled that the child would have to be tested and, furthermore, that Joel would remain in state custody until the results were returned. The Anayas could have appealed the verdict, but doing so would have resulted in their son being kept from them for at least another couple of weeks. Having to choose between standing by their beliefs or looking out for the welfare of their own child, they chose to let Joel undergo the tests so he could be returned to them without further delay.

This case raises some serious, troubling questions. I think most people would agree that the state has a right, even a responsibility, to protect children who are truly endangered by their parents. But, at what point is the state overstepping its bounds? You may not hold the same religious beliefs as the Anayas, who happen to be Jehovah's Witnesses, but maybe you spank your child. Maybe you have chosen to educate your children in your own home rather than in the public schools. Maybe you are teaching your children that homosexuality and abortion are wrong.

All it takes, it seems, is one activist judge who disagrees with your belief system. Send out the cops. As they say, possession is nine tenths of the law, so let the parents choose. Do they stand up for what they believe is right, or do they give in so they can get their child back as soon as possible.

One of the major tenets of the liberal-socialist belief system is that the government knows what's best for everyone. After all, it takes a village, right? And when that village disagrees with the decisions you are making for your own child, apparently the village has a right to forcibly take your child from you.

Like I said, this scares me. What is it that I'm currently doing as a parent that will get my kids taken from me because of some crazy judge? The first thing I'm going to do is contact the Nebraska Supreme Court to voice a complaint about the way this judge acted. I would suggest you do the same. You can head over to their "contact us" page to get their phone number, or mail this form in to them to register your complaint. If nothing else, this judge should be reprimanded for the way she treated this family.