Pregnant 17 year-old with mild learning disabilities goes on run from social workers

This has made me pretty damn angry. A 17 year-old british girl with ‘mild learning difficulties’ has been told that she and her fiance will only be allowed a few hours with her newborn before it is taken into care because she is ‘unfit to be a mother’ due to her disability. Nobody seems to have considered the father in this case, who seems to be loyal to his fiancee and would help bring up the child. Can you imagine this would be happening if it were the male partner who had the learning disability? Anyway, the couple have been forced to go on the run from social workers who would charge them with kidnapping their OWN newborn if she disappeared after it was born.
“Last night, Miss Robertson, who has mild learning difficulties, said:
‘I have been out of my mind with worry about my unborn baby being taken away.
‘Although Ben isn’t born yet, I already love my baby and know I will be a good mum. Mark and I talk to him inside me every day and tell him we love him.
‘We’ve already bought him clothes and my cousin, who recently had a baby, has handed down a beautiful crib for him.
‘But social workers aren’t even giving me a chance to be a mum. It’s as if social workers are trying to rule my life and I just couldn’t take the pressure from them any more.’
Mr McDougall, an artist, said they had made their decision after seeing minutes of a meeting this week where social workers claimed their baby could suffer ‘emotional harm’ if left with Miss Robertson – an allegation they say is ‘ridiculous’.

Disclaimer: This post was written by a Feministing Community user and does not necessarily reflect the views of any Feministing columnist, editor, or executive director.

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