Letter: Don't tear families apart

By Bob Joondeph

We applaud The Oregonian/OregonLive for shining a light on the barriers faced by Amy Fabbrini and Eric Ziegler to parent their children ("IQ costs Oregon parents their kids, but is that fair? July 19). A parent's right to raise her own child and a child's right to be raised by his own parents are fundamental. In every instance, interfering with those rights must be done only when absolutely necessary.

Permitting the state to rely on stereotypes and false assumptions about a parent's ability to safely raise their child does not help shield children from harm. Rather, it has the potential to inflict incalculable damage on children by unnecessarily taking them away from their parents. Disability Rights Oregon will reintroduce legislation from prior sessions to change state law to make clear that questions about a parent's ability should always focus on the individual.

Taking a child away from her or his family based solely on a disability -- be it intellectual, psychiatric, sensory or physical -- is discriminatory. We're grateful that Sen. Tim Knopp has met with Amy and Eric, and is supportive of changing our state's law. We're eager to partner with him and other legislators to protect children and families from being unnecessarily torn apart.

Bob Joondeph, Portland

The author is the executive director of Disability Rights Oregon.