Solomon's Sword
Two Families And The Children The State Took Away
by Michael Shapiro
Gina Pellegrino(19) gave birth to a girl on June 26, 1991, in New Haven, Connecticut. The hospital records say that she lied about her name and age. Gina denies this. After the baby was born, Gina left the hospital. When she did not come back, the Department of Children and Youth Services tried to contact Gina under the name that the hospital had for Gina. The DCYS put the baby in foster care, and they asked a judge, John Downey, to declare the baby a legal orphan. He granted this request. The DCYS then put a notice in the papers saying that if the child was not claimedin 20 days, parental rights would be terminated. 20 days went by, and no parent showed up. The baby was given to pre-adoptive parents, Cindy and Jerry LaFlamme, who had been waiting for a child for years. They were told that the child was risk-free, meaning that there was no possibility of anyone returning to claim the baby. They baptized the baby as Megan Marie, having been told by their caseworker that this was alright. In the meantime, Gina Pellegrino had, with the support of her mother, come to the DCYS to reclaim her child. Gina claims that the DCYS tried to stall her. Ms. Pellegrino got a lawyer, and went to court. After a long court battle, Gina got the baby, whom she renamed. Jerry LaFlamme's mother called the media, which made a big stink. The state went to court on behalf of the LaFlammes, to declare Gina an unfit mother, to declare that the best interests of the baby were to stay with the LaFlammes, whom she viewed as her parents, and to ask that the baby be returned to the LaFlammes. After a very long battle, it was decided that the Gina would keep the child.
During a drug bust on Chicago's west side, the police found 19 children, 18 of whom were under nine, living in an apartment in filth. The children belonged to six women, five Melton sisters and the sister of one of the Melton's boyfriend. The police removed the children and charged the women with misdemeanor child neglect. A video photographer publicized the story with images of the police removing the children from the apartment. The children were placed in foster care and with their relatives. Only one the children was found to have been actually abused- he had cerebral palsy and had been burnt with cigarettes. His mother was the only one the mothers whose parental rights were removed by the judge. The remaining mothers worked to learn how to become better mothers, and were allowed to visit their children. In the end, seven of the kids were adopted, eleven live with realtives, six are moved from home to home. This adds to more than 19 because the sisters had other kids.
In
Solomon's Sword Shapiro goes over these cases from all aspects. He discusses historical perspectives of children, adoption, and salvation. The problems with the social services are discussed and also the cost, the lack of available placements, the disillusionment and fatigue of many social workers, and the impact of media coverage on public perspective. In the end, the picture is frightening. The social services of America are going nowhere fast, and it's an expensive ticket to that nowhere.
The first case in this book is written in a much happier light than the second. In the first, Shapiro can take a decisive stand on what should happen- Megan should be with the people who want her, her adoptive parents. That she isn't with them is something Shapiro sees as a miscarriage in justice. The Melton story is much less clear. There are more people involved in more than one issue, and Shapiro might have done better to have focused more on one of the mothers, and only some of the children. No solution is offered to this case; Shapiro does not see a way out and so that story is written with too many distractions to be very readable. It is still an important picture.
Thoughtful reading.
