I agree JacquelineHyde I was so relieved to read the judgement, spelling out exactly what had happened in this case, rather than all the sometimes nonsensical speculation that has gone on in this thread over several days. I thought that would finally be an end of the matter but NO, not at all as Claig and Claws2 are now busy pulling out bits of the judgement and putting their own interpretations on it. I take my hat off to all of you who are trying to put them right, but in my opinion they have more invested in believing their own theories than in the facts of the matter.
I have been particularly incensed by links to articles in the DM and I agree with Spero that this rag isn't a paper, it's a comic with pictures and I have no time whatsoever for the views of DM readers. I think the fact they they buy the rag and believe what they read speaks volumes.
Claw2 is now trying to draw an analogy between a mentally ill mother and a deaf person in court with no one who could do sign language to assist. You are not comparing like with like. Bi-polar disorder is a serious and enduring psychotic illness, meaning that the sufferer is out of touch with reality. They do not believe that there is anything wrong with them, that is the nature of the illness. There is effective medication for bi-polar disorder but many sufferers stop taking the meds, believing that there is nothing wrong with them, and this is what happened in this case. Therefore no amount of assistance in court was going to help this mentally ill mother to understand the court proceedings. Deaf people on the other hand are not mentally ill and can therefore be assisted in a variety of ways in a court setting.
However I think whatever anyone says now Claig and Claw2 (and possibly others, I've lost count) are going to give in gracefully and I think the judgement must be something of a disappointment to them because it spelled out in a rational manner exactly what did happen as opposed to all the sensational speculation in which they were indulging. All that is left for them to do now is to split hairs and pull bits out of the judgement to fit their own warped and ill informed theories.
I take my hat off to you Spero maryz neenypop and others who are trying to inject some rational thought into this "debate" but I think you are probably wasting your energy just as I am now.
It's a sad case and it is a pity the mother was so insistent on returning to Italy, but that was her wish. I think the fact that she was asking for 12 months (I think) to prove to the court that she would take the meds and not relapse again and would therefore be able to care for her daughter, demonstrates that she has little idea of child development. As I understand it the child is already over one year of age and she simply does not have time to wait for the mother to prove herself. The first 3 years of life are the most important years in a child's development and lay the foundation for later life. Never again will a child learn so much as in those formative years. There is evidence now to suggest that pathways in the brain are formed during those years which will have a bearing on the child throughout the lifespan.
As I understand it, the child will be placed for adoption now that a Placement Order has been made. This will be a wrench for the child, given that she has probably spent her earliest months right from birth with the same foster carers. However the introduction process with the prospective adopters is very carefully handled and thus the child gets the optimum chance of settling with the adoptive family. It won't be plain sailing (as no adoption is) because it is unlikel she will be able to be placed with adopters of her mixed heritage, and if one parent has a psychotic illness, the child has a 50% chance of inheriting the illness. However the adopters will be fully aware of all of these matters and hopefully will be able to give the child over time some awareness of her mixed heritage.
NOW where's that JH - oh maybe he's gone back underneath his stone!!