A Texas mother alleges Child Protective Services (CPS) took her toddler without a court order and without police officers seeing an immediate need for his removal.
FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth reports the child will be released from Dallas Children’s Hospital into a foster home.
“The boy’s mother says she never imagined that taking her son to the hospital for a rash would end with him being taken from her home the next day. Her court hearing to try to get her son back is still a week away,” the outlet wrote.
Joslyn Sanders reportedly took her two-year-old son, Josiah, to Children’s Medical Center Dallas because he had a rash she believed was a reaction to a new laundry detergent.
The doctor recommended a medicine she wasn’t comfortable giving to her son.
“I just was not okay with giving him clindamycin since that antibiotic is reserved for more severe infections,” she said.
Sanders left the hospital against medical advice to take Josiah to her pediatrician.
CPS officers came to her home the next afternoon accompanied by police officers.
Corinth Police Department Chief Jerry Garner said “the officers did not observe anything that would indicate that child was in imminent danger.”
FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth reports:
According to CPS, investigators said they were responding to a report from Children’s about a child being malnourished. But the family provided medical records showing on the date Josiah left the hospital, there was no “indication of child abuse or negligence.”
“They observed the child would eat, and drink. They saw a rash, but they did not see an emergency,” Chief Garner said. “They did not see anything obvious to indicate the child was malnourished.”
The police report says Joslyn agreed to take Josiah to a different hospital. But the CPS worker told her that was no longer an option and proceeded to take Josiah.
“I think being instructed to take the child into custody without a court order, without a directive from a judge would be unusual,” Garner said.
“I think being instructed to take the child into custody without a court order, without a directive from a judge would be unusual,” she said.
The court affidavit filed by the CPS worker stated “The child had a skin infection and a nutritional deficiency. Mother Joslyn Sanders provided no explanation about the child being malnourished. The doctor said the child is at severe risk of becoming septic due to serious infection.”
Joslyn says the affidavit failed to include information that Josiah was receiving treatment for feeding difficulties through his nutrition therapist and an alternate antibiotic from his primary care provider.
WATCH:
Corinth woman fighting to get her son back from CPS after being removed without court order https://t.co/UCP8ept6XE
— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) February 20, 2024
X users commented on Sanders’ battle with CPS:
“Australia is a police state why would you go there?”
Texas: “hold my beer” https://t.co/quZeiejcnT
— E (@ElijahSchaffer) February 25, 2024
Without government, who would take your child because you were hesitant about a medication? https://t.co/kRcxfLBiWk
— Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) February 25, 2024
Informed consent requires presenting patients with alternatives. In this case, instead of trying a different antibiotic, they called CPS. https://t.co/aazFV3jCuF
— Mary Talley Bowden MD (@MdBreathe) February 24, 2024
This child needs to be reunited with his mother immediately. This is a massive overreach.
Big thanks to @CoffinMedia for the heads up on this. https://t.co/nK47dmpBR7
— Matthew Marsden (@matthewdmarsden) February 24, 2024
Texas is quickly becoming California.
How did that happen? https://t.co/QJSXEz5LWk
— Sal the Agorist (@SallyMayweather) February 25, 2024
According to FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, a CPS spokeswoman told the outlet that she can confirm a judge ordered Josiah to be in their care.
A hearing for Sanders to present her side of events is scheduled for Wednesday, February 28.
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