British Court Says Woman isn't Smart Enough to be a Mom

i've know people with the IQ of a genuis who didn't have a clue how to take care of a baby. just raising her child will probably increase he IQ 40 points
sttlbarry

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Ok.....this is not a fair question to ask, is a woman/man birght enough to care for their infant..? I used to work, in NYC, ACS or Administration of Children's Services (used to be Board of Child Welfare) and the stories and clients we had were never happy. If they were being supervised, they resented it, and when the supervision stopped, they became angry that the help they were getting was not forthcoming. Can a person not be bright enough to care for a child, yes. There are parents who may not be bright enough to know when a child is in pain, if crib death may be inevitable (I mean, if she did not know she was pregnant?), how to read a thermometer correctly. And the list can go on. A city, town, district, must be careful, so careful, as those of you here who are upset that her rights as a mother are being abused, are usually the same ones who are up in arms if something hsould happen to the child and the "district" did not do anything. No offense to anyone. It is so difficult to see who is in the right and why and what could happen if she is left to provide for her child alone. Not meaning that she is an evil woman or would purposefully do harm to her daughter, but that the child might, due to mom's lack of IQ chips, might endanger her child. The kind of intelligence I believe they are discussing here is not something learned. The IQ test, not always accurate, shows the base intelligence, give or take a few points. It is a test of potential, not actual intelligence. Can she learn how to be a mom, yes...to a point. Certain things that you or I may take for granted is something this woman might be lacking, like what 'jaundice' actually is, or the difference between a "C" and "F" thermometer. So, I do not feel the court is out of place but that mom is not all wrong either. In the end, better to err on the side of caution, however, for the daughter's sake, in this case and any other like it. Sorry if some disagree but better here in this forum than another where we are commenting about this mom over dosing the kid on Kids Theraflu. By accident as she did not understand the directions. Scuse the typing but it is dark in here.

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Read the Daily Mail article linked in the second paragraph. It's so very, very sad. Her parents are being supportive, and with that kind of support and a little government help (this is England, not the U.S.), it seems like the poor woman deserves a chance. It's not just her losing her own baby; it's her parents losing their granddaughter.

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Where's the father in this situation, has anyone bothered to find out where the father is of this baby? He has rights too.

There's always more than one side to the story. Why rush into adoption until it is fully determined that this mother is just uncapable of caring for the child? How will she support herself and the baby? Is she employed, does she even truly want the baby, or is this just someone trying to get into the "news"?

The baby is the most important person here, not the mother, not the presumed adoptive parents, but the baby. Something's amiss here, and not adding up, if she prefers not to have the baby that's fine, if she would like opportunity to be a mother, why not permit the opportunity with some guidance and support? Since when did a person have to be brilliant to be a mom, don't we have enough examples of bad parenting now (ie., octomom, family of 8, and so many more), without removing a child from a parent who perhaps just wants a chance to care for her infant? I think more than an aptitude test should be given to this young woman, before tearing her baby out of her arms. Perhaps we need to pray for her, and this nation and world that God will give us all just alittle more charity towards one another.

God is Love...........

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Is any mother perfect?? is anyone for that matter? do those people have kids?? I bet they don't. I don't, and I still know that they were in the wrong to take her baby from her. there are far BETTER ways to do this. If they took her baby away because she has a learning disibility, then they need to do that with the rest of the world too, what about all these 14 and 15 year olds having babies? why do they get to keep theirs? It's insane.

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Appears by last comment didn't go through so I'll make this shorter. Basically, to all of you who don't think a woman can be "too stupid" (which is not language any professional would use) to care for a child, please consider this is a special needs child. I have been a newborn intensive care RN for years. Babies born extremely prematurely or ill, as this child was, have special needs for months, years or for the rest of their lives, and great patience, which this woman appears to lack, is needed to properly care for them. It is also important that the parent SHOW UP often to learn the intricate care required for child's safety and development. Here in the states nothing short of an act of God keeps mother and child apart, unless the parent is a clear and well documented danger to the child in question and there is no other family member who can assume care of the child. Believe me when I say I applaud this decision, because I've taken care of far too many babies who return, often beyond our ability to save, from homes and mothers intellectually or emotionally unable to care for them.

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no offense but the article said the mother didnt know she was expecting until 27 WEEKS. i never had a kid but to all you moms out there really think about this. no sonograms no vitamins no dr visits maybe still partying for the first 27 weeks of the pregnancy. thats about 6 months pregnant. COME ON after the missed period, weight gain & child kicking inside of her she still never knew she was pregnant? maybe she was not capable

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Also, the frequency of this woman's visiting is not a "he said, she said" situation. Parental visits are documented, as is teaching. It is all a matter of permanent record, and I'm sure it is no different over there than it is here. There is no way this woman met the requirements to care for this child and there is no way this is just a matter of some social worker thinking she's "too stupid" to care for the child. It's just not that simple, and the needs of the child MUST be considered primary. Here in the states the child would have a Guardian ad Litem, and I'm sure they have the equivalent unbiased child advocate for the child there too, so please don't be so distressed over this overly sensationalized story and sympathetic looking picture of a pretty blonde woman. It absolutely takes more than gender and good looks to be a parent...but then that's another whole subject for another day. My only question is, where is this child's father. Oh yeah...she didn't know she was pregnant. That happens more than people realize. I once took care of someone with a PhD (yes, a Doctorate degree) who carried a baby to term and SWORE she never had sex and was never pregnant and refused to acknowledge her child. It's truly not just a function of intelligence or lack thereof.

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If your IQ is below 75, you are considered mentally retarded. This woman is slightly retarded, and I don't believe asking a retarded person to care for a baby is appropriate. I think that a foster home is a good idea, but she should get more freedom. She should be able to visit her baby and send cards when ever she wants.

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Finally! This is what we need to adopt in the states... We allow FAR to many intellectual rejects sh*t out kid after kid... essentially becoming little more than human xerox's that ALL have digestive tracts & need visual stimuli which all cost money.

The problem is, stupid people are generally BAD at making money... I exclude those who inherit their fortunes like Paris Hilton, or those who happen to be a 10 & "leak" a sex tape to get famous like Kim Kardashian.... But for the most part, average looking, lazy stupid people do little to contribute to society. Instead they expect the establishment (be it the government or their own extended family) to put up the dime to feed their kids.

Here's my plan.. please write back your thoughts... When I take over ... I will have the whole country sterilized. We can do it by tainting the water or air.... Not permanently mind you, there will be a way to spawn. You need to take a test & pass to get a license to birth. If you pass, you get the antidote... if not... Have fun messing up the walls in your trailer because the worst that will happen is herpes will claim you & you'll no longer be a burden to society.

This will only allow fairly intelligent people to procreate! I say fairly with a lot of leeway. I truly think even if we low-ball the test..like make it a 7th grade level of difficulty.... 4/5 of the country will STILL fail. I dare you to tell me I'm wrong.

BRAVO BRITAIN...BRAVO!!!!

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If you want to go fishing you have to have a license, same with hunting and driving, yet they will let anyone have children. I don't know about this women in particular, but I throughly believe before all these unwed mothers start popping out all these kids they should go to school and get a child rearing license!!!

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What has this world come to, parents shoud not be hassled by Social workers and psycholigists who are only trying to justify the money they are earning on the backs of tax payers. Shame on all of us.

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What kind of vote is that? She is da#$ed if you vote "Yes" and da#@ed if you vote "No"? Leave the woman alone. Go get the children of drug users, homeless and prostitues. Leave it to the British to butt in on something that is none of their business.
Love overcomes intelligence anytime. My ex-husband had a low IQ and raised HIS sons very well. None of them ever went to jail, used drugs and all have good jobs and make good money.

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Psychology was a required course in my nursing training. We were taught that IQ testing is not an accurate indicator for an individual's level of intellegence. The test is based on socioeconomic questioning, and an individuals response to these questions depends on many factors including their life exposure. These tests cannot be given controlling weight in deciding if a person's IQ is within "normal limits".

At 6 years old, my son was issued an IQ test as part of the diagnosis protocol for ADHD. The test contained questions such as "where do you get your fruits and vegetables"...my son answered "the grocery store"; "where do your parents get their money", he answered "the bank". As far as my 6 year old son was concerned, based on his observations thus far, his answers were right. But based on the examiner the answers should have been: you get your fruits and vegetables from farms and you get money as wages from employment. We had never purchased our fruits and veggies directly from the farm, we got everything that we needed at the grocery store, and all my son knew about money is that when I needed cash, I went to the ATM and cash came out!! As a result of what answers the examiner deemed to be correct, my son was diagnosed as having a below average IQ. When hearing the results, I cried and stated that as his mother, I know that my son had normal intellegence. The examiner determined that my expectations were too high and I was upset because my son could not meet these expectations. Needless to say, I sought help elsewhere, and my son was treated properly for his ADHD and became a straight "A" student.

For the court to decide that a mother is "too stupid" to raise her own child PRIOR to allowing her the opportunity to try is a travesty and is opening the door to more governmental control over our reproductive rights, among other things. She should be given the opportunity to mother her child, with some supervision and parenting training. We are not born with parenting skills. We develop them as we learn and observe others. Most of us are taught that we won't know if we are capable of doing "something" (whatever that "something" means to each of us), until we try. This young mother should be allowed to try. If this ruling is allowed to stand, this one mother won't be the last we hear about.

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my daughter was born with heart and brain damage and several lesser anomalies.
She has limitations
Her husband died when the children were very young
She has required assistance in bringing up her own children but I have two wonderful, beautiful granddaughters.
One is married. She's a great schoolteacher. She is happily married and we now have a lovely 3 week old granddaughter.
The younger girl is not yet 21 but she is a successful business manager.
If the courts must get involved in this young woman's family life they should order the protective services to provide help to keep the child with his/her (?) mother.

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