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Letters

Child abuse

DEAR EDITOR: The December article on Child Abuse makes repeated inaccurate and misleading references to abusing parents as "psychotic." The vast majority of abusing parents are not psychotic. Some are immature, others have character disorders, and still others are neurotic. They all need help. However, their children frequently need even more protective services than we are willing to provide. Why must children remain in homes that are clearly dangerous and beyond repair? More timely and thorough foster care and adoption services are frequently needed but seldom available.

Agencies dealing with children are often understaffed, underfinanced and confused about their ultimate responsibilities. Keeping families intact and shuttling children back and forth is not the best way to cope with the problem. This is merely expedient containment at the lowest possible cost. When patterns of inadequate and unfit parenting are clearly demonstrated, it is very frustrating to make recommendations for termination of parental rights which are repeatedly ignored or rejected by welfare authorities and the courts. Children are not property and deserve better consideration than society apparently is willing to give them. Abusing parents have many unwitting and perhaps uncaring allies. Education and prevention are fine, but they will never take the place of meaningful and lasting protection.
Thomas T. Tourlentes, M.D. Director of Psychiatric Services Comprenehsive Community Health Center of Rock Island and Mercer Counties

DEAR EDITOR: Thank you so very much for your splendid article on the First Illinois Governor's Conference on The Prevention of Child Abuse. It really captured the flavor, the diversity of people, as well as opinions and ideas of our meeting. It was a good beginning by the citizens of Illinois towards making a serious commitment towards prevention of child abuse and neglect, all the resulting problems, as well as to mobilize and coordinate all the agencies and resources in the state. The article correctly reported that the only disagreements were on the means of investigation, intervention and treatment. This kind of tension is healthy and productive. The results spoke for themselves with so many individuals and agencies making "contacts" to establish programs in their own communities, and with Governor Thompson sponsoring a second conference in Springfield on May 2, 3 and 4 of this year.
Muriel F. Smith - Chairperson, Illinois Chapter National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse

February 1979/Illinois Issues/31


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