[Ohio-Talk] Parental Rights Letters

[Barbara Pierce]

I have just sent my letters to my Ohio representative and Senator. Please take the time to do the same. Todd gave us explicit instructions yesterday about how to do this. I will drop my Senate letter in this message so that you can see how to do the senate version of the letter.

Senator Nathan Manning

 

Ohio Senate

Senate Office Bldg. 1 Capital Square

Columbus, OH  43215

 

SUBJECT:  Including provisions to prohibit blindness from being used to deny or limit care of a minor in the 2021 Budget

 

Senator Manning:

 

I am a constituent in your district and a member of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio. The National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, Ohio’s largest and oldest organization representing Ohio’s blind citizens, proposed H.B. 188 in the 2019-20 legislative session.   I am writing to ask you to support including H.B. 188’s language in the 2021 budget.

 

H.B. 188 would prohibit a person’s blindness from being used as the sole basis to deny or limit custody, parenting time, visitation, adoption, or service as a guardian or foster caregiver of a minor child. Unfortunately, the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio continues to encounter situations in which blindness has been used as the sole determining factor in making decisions regarding child custody and visitation. Consequently, the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio believes that passage of provisions prohibiting the use of blindness as a sole determining factor in these situations is essential for protecting the rights of blind parents and caregivers and the rights of the children affected by these decisions.

 

I personally believe that this is an extremely important issue because as a blind person I have successfully raised three children with my husband, so I know that a blind person can keep children safe. When serving as president of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, I had several occasions to work with blind parents and their attorneys to prevent the courts from taking children away from them. It should not be necessary to face the anxiety and terror of a court case to protect parental rights.

 

Last year H.B. 188 received strong bipartisan support in the House. It had two primary sponsors: Representative Erica Crawley (D-26) and Representative Jon Cross (R-83). At the time H.B. 188 was approved by the House, the legislation had 48 cosponsors. In addition, the bipartisan support for H.B. 188 was so strong that the legislation passed out of Committee on a 13-0 vote and was approved by the House on a 93-0 vote. Unfortunately, there was insufficient time last year for H.B. 188 to be considered by the Senate. At the time H.B. 188 was passed by the House, the Legislative Service Commission reported that the legislation would result in only “minimal cost.”

 

The National Federation of the Blind of Ohio and I are now asking that the provisions of H.B. 188 from the 2019-20 legislative session be included in the 2021 Budget to ensure that the rights of blind parents and caregivers and the minor children they care for are protected as expeditiously as possible.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio if you have questions regarding this proposal. You can contact our Legislative Director, Eric Duffy, at peduffy63 at gmail.com <mailto:peduffy63 at gmail.com> or at 614-377-9877.

 

Sincerely,

 

Barbara Pierce

198 Kendal Dr., Oberlin, OH 44074

440-774-8077

Barbara.pierce9366 at gmail.com

Barbara Pierce, President Emerita
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
Barbara.pierce9366 at gmail.com
440-774-8077
 

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise expectations for blind people because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and their dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.