Court Opinion

ID: 9760576
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 01:01:02.946508+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:29:13.827177
License: Public Domain

McCLUNG, Justice,
dissenting.
While agreeing with the able dissent of Justice Devany, because there are additional reasons why the majority opinion is erroneous, I file this dissent to explain these reasons.
It is well settled that involuntary termination of parental rights involves fundamental constitutional rights. Santosky v. Kramer, 455 U.S. 745, 753, 102 S.Ct. 1388, 1394, 71 L.Ed.2d 599 (1982); Stanley v. Illinois, 405 U.S. 645, 651, 92 S.Ct. 1208, 1212, 31 L.Ed.2d 551 (1972); In re G.M., 596 S.W.2d 846, 846 (Tex.1980).
Because fundamental constitutional rights are involved, the evidence in support of termination must be clear and convincing before a court may involuntarily terminate parental rights. Santosky, 455 U.S. at 769, 102 S.Ct. at 1403; Holick v. Smith, 685 S.W.2d 18, 20 (Tex.1985). Clear and convincing evidence means “that measure or degree of proof which will produce in the mind of the trier of fact a firm belief or conviction as to the truth of the allegations sought to be established.” State v. Addington, 588 S.W.2d 569, 570 (Tex.1979); Wetzel v. Wetzel, 715 S.W.2d 387, 389 (Tex. App. —Dallas 1986, no writ). Under this standard of proof, the scope of appellate review is expanded and the appellate court has more discretion in determining whether there was sufficient evidence to support the fact found by the trial court. Heilman v. Kincy, 632 S.W.2d 216, 218 (Tex.App — Fort Worth 1982, no writ) (citing FAMILY LAW — Standard of Proof — “Clear and Convincing Evidence” Standard of Proof Will Be Required in all Proceedings for Involuntary Termination of the Parent-Child Relationship, 12 St. Mary’s L.J. 558, 565 (1980).
In order to terminate parental rights there must be a finding of specific conduct *93under section 15.02 and a finding that termination is in the best interest of the child. Richardson v. Green, 677 S.W.2d 497, 499 (Tex.1984); Wiley v. Spratley, 543 S.W.2d 349, 351 (Tex.1976). Both of these requirements must be proven by clear and convincing evidence independently of each other. Boyd v. Texas Department of Human Services, 715 S.W.2d 711, 712 (Tex.App. —Austin 1986, writ granted). The mere fact that one of these requirements has been proven is no evidence by which the State can inferentially prove up the remaining requirement. Cf. Wiley, 543 S.W.2d at 351; Boyd, 715 S.W.2d at 713; Compasano v. State, 576 S.W.2d 100, 103 (Tex.App.— Houston [1st Dist.] 1978, no writ). There is a strong presumption that a child’s best interest will be served by maintaining the parent-child relationship. In re G.M., 596 S.W.2d at 847.
The jury found that the parents had not knowingly placed or knowingly allowed the child to remain in conditions or surroundings which endangered the physical or emotional well being of the child. However, the jury found that the parents had engaged in conduct or knowingly placed the child with persons who engaged in conduct which endangered the physical or emotional well being of the child, and also found that termination was in the best interest of the child.
I conclude that the evidence is insufficient to support either of the affirmative findings. Having set out the relevant law concerning involuntary termination cases and mindful of the expanded scope of review1 required in such cases I shall now review the sufficiency of the evidence in this case.
INVOLUNTARY TERMINATION
The evidence before the jury to support the State’s contention that the parents engaged in conduct which endangered the physical or emotional well-being of the child was the following (1) the child was undernourished and (2) the parents did not immediately take the child to the hospital for treatment of a gash over his eye.
These parents have five children. The older three were examined and found not to be malnourished. These children are all in school and in day care provided by Child Welfare. Indeed, as pointed out by the majority, a social worker for Child Welfare testified that the other children were being adequately cared for because they were receiving meals at day care. Child Care Dallas, a United Way agency, offered to enroll this child in their special programs with his brothers and sisters but Child Welfare refused, opting instead to pursue termination of the parents’ rights. The youngest child, born after the time that this child was removed from the home, is also adequately nourished. This is due to the parents’ improved financial condition and parenting skills.
While in the parents’ home, this child was fed a diet consisting primarily of dairy and cheese products as well as a dish called “sopas,” described as “like rice, pastas, baked with spices.” This diet was said to be nutritionally inadequate for the child both for the inadequacy of the portions and the lack of meat and vegetable items. The parents were getting free milk, dairy and cereal products from the “WIC” program. Consequently, the child’s diet consisted heavily of milk and dairy products. The only form of assistance the family was receiving in the way of food was free milk, cheese and cereal. It naturally follows that the child's diet was heavy on milk and dairy products. As the parents were not receiving free meat and vegetable products, likewise, the child was not being fed a diet replete with meat and vegetables. The parents were not American citizens so the family was unable to get government assistance in the form of welfare benefits, food stamps and medical care paid for by the federal government.
The inadequacy of the meal portions was caused by the family’s poverty. The lack of nutritionally balanced meals was also *94caused by poverty as well as the ignorance of the parents in the proper proportion of food groups to be fed to an infant of that age. The pediatrician that examined, tested, and followed the child’s progress in the hospital stated conclusively that any failure of the child to meet his optimum growth potential was solely the result of malnutrition. Further, he excluded physical or emotional abuse by the parents and the home environment along some 500 other possible causes, stating, “In that particular child, it was 100-percent nutrition.” In this regard, the record reflects that the other children were as thin as this child at his age. It is also interesting to note the child’s nutritional state did not originally so concern Child Welfare that they thought termination was needed. Child Welfare originally returned the child to the home even after he was found to be undernourished. This child’s nutritional woes were exacerbated by his eating habits. One foster parent testified that the child refused to eat during his stay with her family and that she, therefore, had to forcefeed him. This behavior was consistent with the parents’ testimony of their difficulty in getting the child to eat.
As stated earlier, the child was malnourished because of the poverty and ignorance of the parents. Termination is not justified where the evidence shows that a parent’s failure to provide a desirable degree of care and support of the child is due to lack of intelligence, training, or misfortune. In re R.E.W., 545 S.W.2d 578, 582 (Tex.Civ. App. —Houston [1st Dist.] 1976, writ ref’d n.r.e.); D.F. v. State, 525 S.W.2d 933, 940 (Tex.Civ.App. —Houston [1st Dist.] 1975, writ ref'd n.r.e.); see also Clark v. Dearen, 715 S.W.2d 364, 367 (Tex.App. —Houston [1st Dist.] 1986, no writ). The parents fall into this category by having the misfortune of possessing insufficient funds to purchase adequate food for their children. The majority’s response is to summarily dismiss the statement in these cases as mere dicta. However, as even the majority concedes, the natural right existing between parent and child is of constitutional dimension. Holick, 685 S.W.2d at 20. This natural parental right has been characterized by the United States Supreme Court as “essential,” “a basic civil right” and “far more precious than property rights.” See Stanley, 405 U.S. at 651, 92 S.Ct. at 1212, and the cases cited therein. This right is protected from infringement by the State in the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment as well as the Ninth Amendment. Id. Therefore, the majority’s holding that parental rights may be terminated because of a situation resulting from a parent’s impoverished condition contravenes established constitutional law. This is so because it has been constantly held that it is impermissible to infringe upon fundamental constitutional rights on the basis of individual wealth. Boddie v. Connecticut, 401 U.S. 371, 385, 91 S.Ct. 780, 790, 28 L.Ed.2d 113 (1971) (Douglas, J., concurring); Harper v. Virginia State Board of Elections, 383 U.S. 663, 668, 86 S.Ct. 1079, 1082, 16 L.Ed.2d 169 (1966); Douglas v. California, 372 U.S. 353, 355-57, 83 S.Ct. 814, 815-817, 9 L.Ed.2d 811 (1963); Griffin v. Illinois, 351 U.S. 12, 16-18, 76 S.Ct. 585, 589-590, 100 L.Ed. 891 (1956); J. Nowak, R. Rotunda and J. Young, Constitutional Law, 731 (1983). Let me emphasize that I do not base my belief that terminating parental rights on the basis of poverty is impermissible because of “dicta” in two state intermediate appellate court opinions but rather upon settled constitutional law as declared by the United States Supreme Court. If the words of D.F., In re R.E. W. and Clark v. Dearen be “dicta” they are “dicta” mandated by basic principles of constitutional law. Furthermore, any interpretation of section 15.02 of the Family Code that would allow parental rights to be terminated because of poverty would I believe make section 15.02 of the Code fundamentally unfair and, a causa de cy, unconstitutional. See Santosky, 455 U.S. at 753-54,102 S.Ct. at 1394-1395.
An examination of the only remaining basis on which termination was sought finds it to be lacking as well. The child was again removed from the home and termination proceedings brought when the child was discovered by a social worker to *95be suffering from a gash over his eye. The babysitter in the home at that time told the social worker that the parents wanted the social worker to take the child to the hospital. The parents testified that they did not take the child to the hospital because they were out looking for money to buy food and they knew that the social worker was coming by the next day and he could take the child to the doctor. The social worker further testified that the injury was an accident resulting from the active nature of the child, and that the parents had tried to reach him about the accident when it happened at 8:30 p.m. the evening before his scheduled visit but that he was unavailable. There was no evidence that this wound was life-threatening, or that the one-day delay was an impediment to treatment. Indeed, there was no evidence that this delay had any ill effects at all on the child.
It must be remembered that these parents are undocumented aliens from Mexico, unable to speak English. There was evidence that test scores show them to be mentally retarded. The parents are uneducated, ill-trained, and scared of deportation. The record shows that the social workers assigned to this family performed many tasks for them. The workers found them a place to live, brought food and appliances they needed, and generally tended to their needs. It would seem quite natural for these parents to grow dependent upon this individual. When this child needed medical attention the parents quite naturally looked to their “guardian and provider” for help. While these workers’ substantial efforts to assist the family in whatever way possible are to be applauded and encouraged, it is cruel and unfair to allow these parents to become dependent on the Child Welfare Department and then have the department use acts of the parents caused by this dependency as a basis for terminating their parental rights.
The majority takes the evidence that the jury found to have exonerated the parents under section 15.02(1)(D) and uses it to support the jury’s finding under section 15.02(1)(E). That is, the majority is holding that unknowing neglect of the child caused by ignorance and poverty is sufficient to support termination under 15.-02(1)(E). This is not only contrary to our decision in Higgins v. Dallas County Child Welfare Unit, 544 S.W.2d 745 (Tex.Civ. App. —Dallas 1976, no writ), but it is also inconsistent with the accepted definitions of neglect used in the overwhelming majority of cases dealing with the parent-child relationship.
“Neglect” has been defined as a disregard of duty resulting from indifference or wilfulness. In re Masters, 165 Ohio St. 503, 137 N.E.2d 752, 755 (1956); Matter of Betty C., 632 P.2d 412, 414 (Okla.1981); In re Sweet, 317 P.2d 231, 235 (Okla.1957). It has also been defined as “the intentional, deliberate and unjustifiable failure to perform a duty with which the parent is charged by law according to acceptable community standards.” C.S. v. Smith, 483 S.W.2d 790, 794 (Mo.Ct.App.1972).
“Neglected child” has been defined as a child who is abandoned or who lacks proper parental care by reason of the fault or habits of the parent. In re Kinkner, 191 Neb. 367, 216 N.W.2d 165, 167 (1974); Caruso v. Superior Court In and For Pima County, 2 Ariz.App. 134, 406 P.2d 852, 856 (1965); but see In re Vikse, 147 Mont. 417, 413 P.2d 876, 877 (1966).
“Child Neglect” has been defined as wil-fully failing to provide proper and sufficient food, clothing, maintenance or a failure to do or permit any act necessary for a child's well being. State v. Burden, 126 N.J.Super. 424, 315 A.2d 43, 44 (App.Div. 1974).
The common thread running through all of these definitions is the requirement of affirmative and deliberate action on the part of the parent. In other words, a culpable mental state is required before neglect can justify termination.
A particularly cogent case discussing culpability is In re Jack H., 106 Cal.App.3d 257, 165 Cal.Rptr. 646, 652 (1980) where it was held:
Neither financial inability to provide necessities nor a less than ideal home environment are of themselves coexten*96sive with the culpable neglect necessary to sever all familial ties_ [Interference with the fundamental liberty of a child to be raised by his or her parents cannot constitutionally be countenanced by a mere showing of neglect. To permit intervention for mere neglect would be to permit the state to interfere with impunity in the affairs of any family. [Emphasis added.]
Therefore, I do not believe that acts which this jury found to be committed unknowingly and out of ignorance under section 15.02(1)(D) can also constitute that conduct contemplated by section 15.02(1)(E) to support termination. To permit intervention for mere neglect would be to permit the state to interfere with impunity in the affairs of any family. The majority’s holding that exonerating evidence to a charge under 15.02(1)(D) can constitute damning evidence under 15.02(1)(E) not only flies in the face of established principles of law but also strains credulity. That portion of Higgins which analyzes subsections (D) and (E) of the Family Code and says that subsection (D) of the Family Code requires knowing neglect of the child and that subsection (E) requires aggressive conduct or, at least, affirmative conduct by a person which endangers the physical or emotional well-being of the child is sound and should not be overruled. If subsection (E) is not interpreted as requiring some affirmative conduct, as distinguished from passive neglect, then subsection (E) includes all the “conduct” described in subsection (D) but without the requirement of “knowingly,” so that the jury’s finding here that the parents’ conduct did not violate subsection (D) becomes meaningless. This interpretation not only harmonizes the imprecise wording of the statute but also is in harmony with the accepted definition of neglect used in cases dealing with the overwhelming majority of cases dealing with the parent-child relationship. See In re Kinkner, 216 N.W.2d at 167; In re Masters, 137 N.E.2d at 755; Matter of Betty C, 632 P.2d at 414; In re Vilas, 475 P.2d at 617; In re Sweet, 317 P.2d at 235; Caruso v. Superior Court In and For Pima County, 406 P.2d at 856; In re Jack H., 165 Cal. Rptr. at 652; C.S. v. Smith, 483 S.W.2d at 794; State v. Burden, 315 A.2d at 44. But see In re Vikse, 413 P.2d at 877. Sound case law should not be ignored.
In our case the verdict establishes that the only neglect alleged or shown was committed unknowingly and the evidence shows that no aggressive conduct by the parents occurred. Therefore, we do not even need to reach the question of whether “aggressive conduct” must be directed at the child. I believe the majority is without legal foundation to support its holding that unknowing neglect can constitute the culpable neglect required to support termination. I do not believe that this type of “neglect” constitutes that term of art used in termination cases or that it can ever constitute “conduct” under section 15.-02(1)(E) of the Family Code.
In addition, it is undisputed that any neglect of the child was solely due to lack of education, ignorance, fear and poverty. I strongly concur in the statement in D.F. and In re R.E.W. that termination is not appropriate when a parent “through lack of intelligence or training, illness or misfortune is unable to provide a desirable degree of physical care and support for his or her children.” To interpret the Family Code to allow termination for conduct caused by ignorance, lack of training, illness or misfortune would, I believe, render the Family Code constitutionally infirm as violative of the due process clause. Cf. Ex parte Ramzy, 424 S.W.2d 220, 223 (Tex.1968); In re Anderson, 604 S.W.2d 338, 339-40 (Tex. Civ.App. — Tyler 1980, no writ); Heilman v. Wolke, 427 F.Supp. 730, 732 (E.D.Wis. 1977). I would hold the evidence legally insufficient to support the affirmative finding regarding the conduct of the parents.
BEST INTEREST
Having examined the evidence and law dealing with the first part of section 15.021 shall now turn to the question of whether the evidence was sufficient to support the jury’s finding that termination was in the best interest of the child.
When making a determination of whether termination is in the best interest of the *97child, the fact finder may consider a number of factors, including, but not limited to: (A) the desires of the child; (B) the emotional and physical needs of the child now and in the future; (C) the emotional and physical danger to the child now and in the future; (D) the parental abilities of the individuals seeking custody; (E) the programs available to the individuals seeking custody; (F) the programs available to assist in promoting the best interest of the child; (G) the plans for the child by the individuals or agencies seeking custody; (H) the stability of the home or proposed placement; (I) the acts or omissions of the parent which may indicate that the existing parent-child relationship is not a proper one; and (J) any excuse for the acts or omissions of the parent. Holley v. Adams, 544 S.W.2d 367, 371-72 (Tex.1976). Applying the Holley factors, it is apparent that it has not been shown by clear and convincing evidence that termination is in the best interest of the child. The child is too young to express his desires. The emotional and physical needs of the child now and in the future would best be served by staying with his natural parents, if possible. The evidence shows that the parents have worked hard to improve their parenting skills and can now more adequately care for the child. The emotional and physical danger to the child now and in the future is slight. There is no evidence that either parent ever physically abused the child. There is also no evidence that the parents knowingly emotionally abused the child. There is no evidence that the parents use drugs or intoxicants of any kind. There is no evidence that either parent uses profane, obscene, or objectionable language at home or in the presence of their children. Furthermore, the parents now have a greater realization that this child is a “special needs” child and are prepared to give him more attention. As to the cluster of factors dealing with the persons seeking custody, it is noteworthy that Child Welfare said that this child is “adoptable” and they are planning to place him with an American family. While it is true that this child was “Bom in the U.S.A.” his heritage and culture are Hispanic. To tear asunder the parent-child bond would also entail separating him from his brothers, sisters, grand-parents, etc. This would destroy the extended family bond that is especially im- . portant. It cannot be said that it is in this child’s best interest to be torn apart from not only his parents but his other relatives that love him, and be placed with strangers.
There were and are programs available to assist in promoting the best interest of this child that did not encompass termination. A representative of Child Care Dallas testified that they could and would assist these parents in caring for this child and in seeing that he is fed and educated. Child Welfare had workers who were helping this family with the care of this child. Improvement was being made. There was no evidence improvement could not have continued to be made and the child protected without having to terminate these parents’ rights.
Certainly it is true that the Family Code does not require the State to seek less drastic alternatives before filing suit for termination of parental rights. It is no doubt true that Child Welfare has a right to file suit for termination without seeking less drastic alternatives as indeed anyone can file suit against anyone else for whatever reason he or she chooses. I vehemently disagree, however, that a parent’s rights can be terminated without a showing that less drastic means are unavailable.
The constitution recognizes as fundamental the right of family integrity. San-tosky, 455 U.S. at 753, 102 S.Ct. at 1394; Cleveland Board of Education v. LaFleur, 414 U.S. 632, 640, 94 S.Ct. 791, 796, 39 L.Ed.2d 52 (1974); Stanley, 405 U.S. at 651, 92 S.Ct. at 1212; May v. Anderson, 345 U.S. 528, 533, 73 S.Ct. 840, 843, 97 L.Ed.2d 1221 (1953); Prince v. Massachusetts, 321 U.S. 158, 166, 64 S.Ct. 438, 442, 88 L.Ed. 645 (1944); Skinner v. Oklahoma, 316 U.S. 535, 541, 62 S.Ct. 1110, 1113, 86 L.Ed. 1655 (1942); Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S. 510, 534-35, 45 S.Ct. 571, 573-74, 69 L.Ed. 1070 (1925); Meyer v. Nebraska, 262 U.S. 390, 399, 43 S.Ct. 625, 626, 67 L.Ed. 1042 (1923); Franz v. United *98States, 707 F.2d 582, 603 (D.C.Cir.1983); Roe v. Conn, 417 F.Supp. 769 (M.D.Ala. 1976); Alsager v. District Court of Polk County, Iowa, 406 F.Supp. 10, 15 (S.D. Iowa 1975), affd, 545 F.2d 1137 (8th Cir. 1976); In re Sherol A.S., 581 P.2d 884, 888 (Okla.1978); Holick, 685 S.W.2d at 20; Wetzel, 715 S.W.2d at 388-89.
“What gift has providence bestowed on man that is so dear to him as his children?”
The majority acknowledges that involuntary termination of parental rights involves fundamental constitutional rights but inexplicably fails to grasp the significance of this fact. Because involuntary termination involves fundamental constitutional rights, severance of the parent-child relationship will survive constitutional scrutiny only if the following requirements are met: (a) the asserted governmental interest must be compelling; (b) there must be a particularized showing that the state interest in question would be promoted by terminating the relationship; (c) it must be impossible to achieve the goal in question through any means less restrictive of the rights of parent and child and (d) the affected parties must be accorded the procedural protections mandated by the due process clauses. Franz, 707 F.2d at 602. See also Roe, 417 F.Supp. at 779; Alsager, 406 F.Supp. at 21-22, 24; D.S. v. Dept. of Public Assistance and Social Services, 607 P.2d 911, 922 (Wyo.1980).
The majority summarily dismisses the mandate of these requirements in this case with the cavalier statement that the State has a compelling interest in providing a stable and permanent home for the child through termination, regardless of the less restrictive alternatives shown by testimony. In effect, granting a license for the State to totally disregard those fundamental constitutional rights of the parents whenever the State so chooses. This departure of long established constitutional principles through judicial legislative decree is astounding, to say the least.
There was testimony that Child Care Dallas was willing and able to assist this family in supplying the needed care for the child. Additional evidence was also introduced showing alternatives other than termination to protect this child. I believe that any interpretation of the Family Code interpreting “best interest of the child” to allow termination of the parent-child relationship when any viable alternatives are shown would render section 15.02 of the Family Code unconstitutional. See Franz v. United States, supra; Roe v. Conn, supra; D.S. v. Dept. of Public Assistance and Social Services, supra.
The acts or omissions of the parents indicating that the existing- parent-child relationship is not a proper one and the excuses for these are set out elsewhere in this opinion and do not require repeating. What does require repeating is that it has simply not been shown by clear and convincing evidence that termination is in this child’s best interest. After examining and applying relevant case law the only conclusion reachable is, again, that termination was not justified.
ANALOGOUS CASES
An even stronger case for termination was presented in In re R.E. W., in which an involuntary termination suit was brought against the mother under section 15.-02(1)(D) and (E) of the Family Code. The testimony established that the child remained in the custody of the mother until the child was eighteen months old. At that time the mother sought treatment for her alcoholism. The child was placed in foster care and returned to the mother four months later. The mother and child being poverty-stricken, lived in squalor in a small, dilapidated rent house in a high crime area. The mother kept filthy turpentine-soaked rags in the home. Edible food was left in the kitchen and was covered with fungus and roaches. The child was small, frail, and malnourished. She was behind in her development and unable to walk. The child was not fed solid foods, but was kept on a bottle for the mother’s convenience. The child constantly had a bottom that was scalded. The mother did not change her diaper with regularity and the child’s buttocks were raw and oozing. The mother kept a loaded gun and medicine bottles *99within reach of the child. The mother was receiving psychiatric care and at one point was hospitalized in the Austin State Hospital. During this time Child Welfare assumed care and custody of the child. Large open sores were observed on the child. The child had emotional problems in that she was very aggressive toward others, hyperactive and would deliberately inflict injury upon herself. While there was improvement when the child was in foster care the child would regress when returned to the mother. The mother had a ninth-grade education and was living on welfare and food stamps. She had been an alcoholic since the age of sixteen but no longer drank. There was testimony that she had made progress in “straightening out her life.” She was responsive to therapy and there was testimony she would continue to improve and that at time of trial she could take better care of her child.
The court of appeals held that while it was painfully apparent that the mother failed to meet minimal standards as a parent this was the result of her basic lack of understanding of her parental responsibilities and of her emotional and physical disabilities. The court further stated that the evidence showed the mother was making an effort to conform with the requirements of the Child Welfare Unit, and that with the assistance of certain social agencies some progress was being made.
The court stated that termination is not justified if a parent’s failure to provide care and support is due to lack of intelligence, training, or misfortune. After an examination and analysis of the law in termination proceedings, the court held that under the facts and circumstances described above, it was not shown that the requirements of 15.02(1)(D) and (E) of the Family Code had been met or that termination was in the best interest of the child. It is particularly interesting to note that at this time the Family Code only required the court’s findings in termination cases be based upon a preponderance of the evidence under rules generally applicable to civil cases. Now, of course, clear and convincing evidence is required. The majority cites In re R.E.W., but fails to grasp its precedential value to our case. The facts in In re R.E.W. and our case concerning the child are strikingly similar but significantly more severe in In re R.E.W. The acts done by the mother were much more serious then those done by the parents in our case yet the court held that termination was not justified. This holding was reviewed and upheld by our supreme court.
A similar case in which evidence was held insufficient for termination under section 15.02(1)(D) and (E) is In re R.L., 620 S.W.2d 249 (Tex.Civ.App — Amarillo 1981, no writ). The testimony at trial revealed that the child was inappropriately dressed, kept in filthy, substandard housing that was either too hot or too cold, fed improperly, and bruised. During times that the mother was in jail, the child was left with her husband who was an alcoholic. A caseworker also noticed that the child’s babysitter allowed the child to lie in bed with no side supports and picked up the child without providing proper support for the child’s head and back. The child was also diagnosed as having marasmus, which is a starvation syndrome. Faced with these facts and circumstances the court held that the State had not met its onerous burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that the requirements of section 15.02(1)(D) or (E) had been met or that termination was in the best interest of the child. Again, the acts of the mother were substantially more egregious then in our case and again are held not to be sufficient to support termination.
CONCLUSION
It is undisputed that these parents are not “ideal.” They are poverty-stricken, ignorant, uneducated, ill-trained in child-rearing and are of limited intelligence.
It is also apparent that the child has emotional problems and requires special attention. But surely the majority would not and is not advocating that the parental rights of all parents who have autistic children, hyperactive children, or children with any other handicap that requires special attention be terminated because the par*100ents may be ill-equipped to handle these problems. These parents love their child very much, so much so that they willingly increased their risk of deportation in order to regain their son. The testimony at trial was sharply divided with one-half of the social workers who testified stating that they would not recommend termination. It is significant to note that the guardian ad litem appointed to protect the best interest of the child also refused to recommend termination. The social workers who did recommend termination did so because “The parents had limited parental ability”, “the child needs special attention” “the parents are overwhelmed with too many other kids” and other reasons of equally questionable validity. These parents had made improvement and there were agencies willing to assist them so that additional improvement could be made. It is apparent that there was a period of crisis that occurred within this family at the period this child was removed from the home. The parents were in severe financial difficulty and were unprepared to parent a “special needs” child. Since that time they have worked hard to improve and have improved their parenting skills. Their financial condition has also improved. Consequently, their youngest child is not “failing to thrive” and their other children are doing well. There is no indication that this child would not also do well if he were returned to the home. Any rational examination of the facts could only lead to the conclusion that the State has not met their onerous burden of showing by clear and convincing evidence that section 15.02(1)(E) has been met or that termination is in the best interest of the child.
It is not the purpose of the Family Code of this state to prescribe just how often a child should be scrubbed, or exactly what diet should be slavishly adhered to and it by no means follows that a child’s welfare is always necessarily promoted by removing him from a home of poverty and hard work, and transplanting him in another home of luxury and ease. Within the writer’s knowledge, a generation of vigorous men and women have grown up under conditions that would not likely meet the approval of this majority.
The observations and musings of the Supreme Court of North Dakota in In re Kelber, 51 N.D. 698, 200 N.W. 786 (N.D. 1924) seem especially appropriate to this case. These words are even more necessary to read and understand today than when it was written in 1924:
The parents may not be blessed with intelligence of the highest order, nor with a high degree of education or culture. The law, however, makes no distinction between the genius and the common man, the educated and the ignorant, the refined and the uncouth, the rich and the poor, in so far as the natural right to the custody of offspring is concerned. Every consideration of justice and humanity requires that family ties shall not be lightly sundered ... The home and the family, held together by the ties of natural, rather than adoptive, affection, is the last bulwark of American institutions. Poverty, lack of education or of culture alone, are never sufficient justification for severing the ties that bind families together. In this western country, on these western plains, many a home might have been broken where large families were raised by the pioneers in one room cabins of logs or sod, had poverty, lack or education, or begrimed faces of children, playing on naked mother earth, been the only showing required.
For the multitude of reasons stated above, I dissent.
DEVANY, WHITHAM, HOWELL, BAKER and THOMAS, JJ., join in this opinion.

. Our scope of review, while expanded, is not as expansive as it could be. See State v. Duran, 204 Neb. 546, 283 N.W.2d 382, 385 (1979) and the cases cited therein. ("An appeal of this matter is heard by the appellate court trial de novo upon the record.”)