A few months ago, the Internet was outraged by a mom who was arrested at a theme park in Florida while her 3-year-old son was suffering, burned and badly beaten, at a hospital back in New Hampshire. Well, get ready to get outraged all over again!
Cops said Jessica Linscott's boyfriend had been torturing the 3-year-old for weeks before he was dropped at the hospital way back in November. When they caught up with her and Roland Dow, they hauled both of them off to prison, him on charges of child abuse, her for allegedly not doing a thing to get her child help.
Now, all of a sudden, Jessica Linscott has decided she wants to be a mom after all. She's petitioned a judge to get back into her 3-year-old's life.
I'll give you the good news first -- the judge has already nixed visitation rights with the little boy. Linscott, who has turned state's witness on Dow, remains in jail on $100,000 bond, and she's not getting out to see her child.
But the judge is allowing this "mother" to write letters to the little boy.
Seriously? When do we say when? When has a child just had so much that they earn the right to be completely severed from the person who (allegedly) endangered them? This child was beaten and burned over the course of 14 days, and cops say his mom did nothing to stop it.
Then she allegedly ran off to have the time of her life at a theme park while he was lying in a hospital bed. And she still gets to be in his life?
Can't we give the 3-year-old a break? Make his rights to live a happy, normal childhood take precedence over her rights to be a parent?
You know, I get that courts are supposed to be all about keeping families together, but this bit of news really gets under my skin. I look around me at all the wonderful folks struggling with infertility who would give their right arms to have a child to love and cherish, and there are people like Jessica Linscott and Roland Dow in this world.
She gets to be in her child's life, regardless of the egregious charges against her, and we're supposed to just accept that?
Do you think this is right? What rights should this mom be afforded considering the charges against her?
Image via Orange County, Fla., Corrections Department
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Comments 220
I say this mom just lost all rights and the little boy should be placed somewhere she dont get to have contact with him..This little boy she be in foster care and put with a family that can change this little boys life and show that not all parents are monsters..And she the real so called mom should loose all rights to him and force to sign all right to the state til they find the perfect parents for this little boy..my heart cries for this little boy..she will finally realize what its like to be without him!!