Parents, Advocates, and Lawmakers Call for Passage of Policies Rooted in Equity, Support, and Empowerment for Families
(above) Nila Natarajan, Associate Director of Policy & Family Defense, Brooklyn Defender Services at today's rally in Albany.
(ALBANY, NY) - Parents, advocates, public defenders, and legislators held a rally in Albany to demand the passage of four bills that aim to shrink the pathways through which families are funneled into the family policing system (also known as the “child welfare system”) and ensure that families currently navigating this system are treated with dignity and respect.
Advocates are calling for the passage of four state bills:
The Family Miranda Rights Act (A1234 - Walker / S551 - Brisport)
The Anti-Harassment in Reporting Act (A066 - Hevesi / S550- Brisport)
The Maternal Health Dignity and Consent Act (A860 - Rosenthal / S845 - Salazar)
“Families do not trust the family policing system because it prevents people from knowing their rights, exercising bodily autonomy, and parenting their children without surveillance and punishment,” said Joyce McMillan, Founder and Executive Director of JMACforFamilies. “What New York families actually need are policies that help keep them whole, healthy, and thriving. Together, the Family Miranda Rights Act, the Maternal Health and Dignity Act, the Anti-Harassment in Reporting Act, and the Preserving Family Bonds Act will help ensure families are respected and empowered, and we urge Albany to pass all four bills this session.”
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“Every day, New York families are targeted and torn apart by a system rife with racism that conflates poverty with neglect,” said Nila Natarajan, Associate Director of Policy & Family Defense, Brooklyn Defender Services. “With this slate of legislation, New York can begin to address some of the many harms the family policing system inflicts upon families, by empowering families with their rights in the face of invasive investigations and preserving familial bonds amid the immense trauma of the termination of family rights. We are grateful to stand alongside impacted families, advocates, and legislators to fight for these policies to keep families whole and safe.”
Read the full press release here.
