Court Opinion

ID: 9544034
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 16:51:30.521695+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:11:50.283755
License: Public Domain

*570VandeWALLE, Justice,
concurring specially.
I reluctantly concur with the majority opinion in this instance. I concur only because, as the opinion indicates, this procedure involves a temporary custody order subject to continuing review and not a termination of parental rights. If this were a proceeding for termination of parental rights I would dissent since I do not believe the evidence is sufficient to justify a termination of parental rights. I express that position now since the next proceeding in this matter may be a petition for termination of parental rights.
While the home life of the parents in this instance may well be far from what I would personally desire, the only evidence which I believe justifies the custody order in this instance is that Laura was born prematurely and was in need of special attention; that when Laura entered the hospital on December 16, 1977, she was found to be undernourished and below normal weight; and that during the period she was hospitalized she began to gain weight and develop normally. Although we are required to assume that her undernourished condition was due to lack of proper care by her parents, there is no direct evidence to support such an assumption. It may be that only under hospital conditions would Laura have developed normally. In any event, the fact that Laura was born prematurely and required special care is not a continuing problem. I assume that at some point in their lives premature children reach a point where they no longer require special care because of the fact that they were prematurely born. Thus I do not believe this evidence, which is the only evidence justifying the temporary custody order, can continue to be used indefinitely as a basis for removing Laura from the control and custody of her parents.