In response to our guest letter that was posted on September 5 on my blog, I appreciate the views, opinions, and concerns of our donors, friends, and supporters, including those who differ from Dr. Astrid Heppenstall Heger. My blog is not meant to advocate for one political party, but rather to highlight issues that affect the children and families we serve at Hillsides.
We live in a nation where we can be respectful of opinions and perspectives that differ from each other. We live in a nation where society can be heard, legislation can be signed into law, and justice can prevail. Equally, we live in a nation where some children experience horrific situations and I’m afraid the trauma will be with them for the rest of their lives. I am only hopeful that the men and women who commit these horrific crimes will be prosecuted to the fullest extent.
When a child such as ten-year-old Maria finds herself 16-weeks pregnant and struggling to get through this terrible experience, I am comforted by the fact that she will survive because of a legal medical option available to her. I personally would prefer that we live in a nation where abortions do not occur. However, I also feel this procedure has been going on since the beginning of humanity and legislating against them is not going to stop individuals from having one. Taking in the pros and cons I come down on the side of a woman’s right to choose (believe me this is not an easy decision for them) and sanctioning medically supervised abortions with regulations.
But for children like Maria what is at stake is their survival, their sanity, their healing, their hope for a better childhood, their courage to move forward. As a service provider for children and families in crisis, we must highlight the difficulties and complications of social services that will arise for our clients. And in our 95 years of existence, Hillsides has been creating safe places for children and families who are in crisis. We have been able to serve 35,000 children and their families, providing mental health treatment, giving the tools for a stable home, educating parents on how to better communicate with their children, and finding ways together to preserve the families that will lead to creating safer places for everyone.
We are fortunate to have professional staff with the expertise and knowledge to give this mental health support to our children and families. We are also fortunate to have donors, friends, and supporters who care for the mission of Hillsides—creating safe places for children and families—by giving their time, talent, and treasure to enrich the lives of our foster care children who have been physically, sexually, or mentally abused, to expand services, to empower others and spread awareness of the good work we do in the community, and to join us in the numerous opportunities to make a difference.
With this in mind, I thank you for your time, compassion, and understanding of the many views that make up the fabric of our nation.
Sincerely,
John M. Hitchcock, LCSW
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1 comment:
I would like to thank you for posting that letter. I agree with you that I would rather live in a world where abortions are not necessary, but I do believe that in some instances they are. I would also rather live in a world where places likes Hillsides aren't necessary, but as long as Hillsides is there, you, and, more importantly, the children, will have my support.
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