BOSTON, May 4, 2014—The family of Justina Pelletier will hold a news conference in front of the Statehouse on Beacon Street directly following their meeting with HHS Secretary Polanowicz regarding the DCF reunification plan to return Justina to her home.
Fifteen-year-old Connecticut resident Justina Pelletier has been held in Massachusetts DCF custody for over a year based on a medical dispute between doctors. The case highlights the abusive authority that medical institutions and state agencies can wield over parents.
The news conference will be held on Monday, 5, at 2:00 P.M. The meeting with Secretary Polanowicz will take place on at 11:30 A.M. that morning at Secretary’s Polanowicz’s Boston office. Family spokesperson, Reverend Patrick Mahoney will also be attending the meeting.
Rev. Patrick Mahoney states: “We are grateful that Secretary Polanowicz is personally getting involved in the Justina Pelletier case. Our hope and prayer is that this nightmare for Justina and her family will come to an end and she will returned back into their loving arms.”
Mahoney continued: “Although we are glad for this meeting with Secretary Polanowicz, it must be remembered that this reunification plan should have been put together fourteen months ago. During those fourteen months, Justina was prevented from exercising her religious beliefs and was not properly educated.”
“When she came to DCF, she was participating in ice skating competitions,” Mahoney concluded. “Now she cannot walk. For fourteen months, she was not receiving proper medical attention. Our solution to this tragedy has always been a simple one. Parents know what is best for their children more than government agencies or courts. Massachusetts, now is the time to do the right thing. Return Justina to her family!”
For more information or interviews call:
Rev. Patrick Mahoney at 540.538.4741