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For one mother, justice is denied
By MARY SANCHEZThe Kansas City Star
Note to childless couples desperately wanting to adopt a healthy infant: Try a deported immigrant’s child.
In Missouri, a judge rewarded just such a longing couple with an adorable little boy.
Never mind that the child’s biological mother wants her son back.
She’s Guatemalan, an illegal immigrant. When the mother was arrested in a 2007 raid at a Missouri chicken plant, she handed her then-7-month-old child to relatives.
The mom, Encarnacion Bail Romero, had to serve time in prison because she’d been working at the plant using a Social Security number that didn’t belong to her.
Meanwhile, her relatives struggled to take care of the child. So the little boy, first named Carlos, was passed around, relative to relative.
By the time other people stepped in, the little boy was in need of better care. That’s when Seth and Melinda Moser got involved, taking the boy they call Jamison into their home.
Nothing was official; they did it out of the goodness of their hearts. Then they started a process to adopt him while the mother was still in prison.
The Mosers’ actions ceased being noble at that point.
The mother never had an attorney while her rights were severed. She doesn’t understand English, so there’s no way she understood the legal paperwork.
Being an illegal immigrant is not equal to bad parenting. In fact, you could argue the opposite. Bail Romero came to Missouri while pregnant, seeking work to send the money home to support her two other children.
And since when does being in prison equate to abandonment of your children? That’s the stance taken by the judge in Wednesday’s ruling.
The mother did manage to get a statement written on notebook paper while incarcerated. Bail Romero said she wanted Carlos to be fostered until she could take him back with her to Guatemala when she was deported after her sentence.
It’s not surprising that the Mosers weren’t able to step back and address the glaring ethical issues of the path they are on. They clearly love this child.
The saying “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” has been repeatedly uttered regarding this case.
The Moser family has complained that “special interests” are meddling.
Darn right, for good reason.
History is filled with examples of people taking other people’s children under misguided ideals about who is inherently a better parent. In this country, stealing children is generally frowned upon.
This case wouldn’t fit most definitions of human trafficking. But in concept, that’s basically what a Missouri judge has OK’d.