In the movie "I Am Sam" Sean Penn plays a high functioning mentally challenged man whose love for his daughter runs deep, but she is ultimately taken away from him and placed in foster care due to his mental illness. Tell me how you feel about the situation and do you think the government has the right to intervene in so called protecting children just because their parents maybe mentally challenged. Do some research on the termination of parental rights and persons suffering from mental disabilities. Also, look up the Americans with Disability Act and see what it says according to those suffering from mental disability and parental rights. Use examples from these Acts and personal opinion on the situation.
Due Friday 11:59pm
Due Friday 11:59pm
Sam had a mental disability which effects his ability to be a parent. As a parent he is responsible to raise his child, which is hard for him to do considering he has the mental capacity of around a seven year old. He may not have the same parental qualities as most parents but he has the best parental quality which is love. He shows unconditional love to his daughter which is one of the most important things to show when raising a child. I believe that Sam should have the right to take care of his child and her not have to be in a foster home. His daughter is very bright and is aware of what is going on as well as Sam is very bright himself. She can get all her educational needs at school and come home and be a kid with her father. She would be taken care of at a foster home but part of her would be missing, she needs that love that only her father can give her. The Americans with Disability Act sets guidelines for who can be parents and who can not be parents of people with mental disabilities. It all depends on how highly functioning they are and there mental capacity. If they have a mental capacity of four year old its more likely that their child will be put in a foster home where as someone that has a mental capacity of a ten year old has less of a chance of that happening. I think it comes down to how much the parent can handle and how well they take care of the children. People with mental disabilities show lots and lots of love and that is exactly what ever child needs.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that the government shouldn't be able to take kids away from their parents just because of a certain disability if the child is being raised lovingly and caringly. The Americans with Disability Act was mainly created to set limits and certain circumstances stating whether a person with a disability can or cant be allowed to be a parent and raise a child the main circumstance is whether or not the parent has a high enough brain capacity and if they are able to function to a certain degree for example a parent with the brain of an 11 or 12 year old will more than likely be allowed to raise their child, on the other hand if it was too low like a 5 year old their child will unfortunately be put in a foster home. People with mental disabilities are some of the happiest people on earth and they just love life and everyone living on earth. Its because of this that they would never do anything to hurt or purposefully endanger their children and would do everything they could to make their child happy. This is why people with mental disabilities should be allowed to raise children just as long as they are capable enough and the child is not in any harm while being raised by them.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Sam has a mental disability and has the capacity of a seven year old, I don’t think that the government has the right to take away his daughter. He loves his daughter very much and at that age, love and being playful is really all a child needs. In the movie it seems like his daughter was able to take care of herself pretty well. However, depending on how severe the parents disability is the government should step in if the parent is unable to take care of the child or if the child is in any danger. The Americans with Disability Act basically limits whether a mentally disabled parent can take care of a child or not. For example if the mentally disabled has the mental capacity of an eight or nine year old then they may be able to take care and support a child more likely than someone who has the mental capacity of a four or five year old. I totally agree and support this act because in the end it’s all about what is best for the child.
ReplyDeleteI think that it was unfair that Sam’s daughter was taken away from him. He was a good father and showed her more love than a lot of children receive. He was able to take care of her well enough at the age that she was and she loved him and did not seem to be unhappy. However, once his daughter’s education was surpassing his, she needed someone who could help her grow and learn. Though she would have been taken care of in the foster home, she would not have the love of her father that she needed the most. She might have needed another person to help her as she grew up but I feel like her father had just as much right to be her parent. I do not think that destroying her relationship with her father was in her best interests, which is what should be required in order to end that relationship. The Americans with Disability Act has certain standards required for a mentally challenged parent to keep their child. I feel like the government has the right to intervene to protect the child when the child is being neglected or harmed. If the parent cannot take care of their child due to their mental disabilities then the government should find the next best alternative such as a relative in order to keep the child as close to their parent as possible. The situation should be carefully handled and the child should only be taken if it is impossible to stay with their parent. A child should never be taken completely away from a loving parent no matter the parent’s mental capacity.
ReplyDeleteI do not think it was fair that Sam’s daughter was taken from him. Even though he had a disability, he was still taking care of his daughter. Having a father with a disability was normal for her and all she really knew. He was still a loving father to her and took care of her. Even though she would have needed someone else once she got older, that is still no reason to tear a family apart. The Americans with Disability Act has standard that the parent must meet to keep their child. If the parent is unable to fulfill their role as a parent, I feel that is where the government should step in. The government has the right to do what is best for the child if harm is being done. I think that before they place the child in foster care, they should try to work with family members on taking care of the child. taking the child completely away from their family, when they are old enough to remember it, is just going to make for more problems down the road.
ReplyDeleteIt was very hard to watch a little girl who loved her dad so much be taken away from her father. It seemed cold and unfair. It is like they were both growing up together and teaching each other things. I don’t think it was right for the government to take Lucy away from Sam so quickly without any notice or concern for their relationship. I understand that Sam was mentally challenged and that he would probably eventually need help raising his daughter since he was intellectually like a 7year old. The process in this this movie though stunk. When Congress enacted the American Disabilities Act, they recognized that ‘physical and mental disabilities in no way diminish a person’s right to fully participate in all aspects of society’. This movie felt like it did not respect this law. Every state has its own grounds for the termination of parental rights. In most states ‘long-term mental illness or deficiency of the parent(s)’ is one of the grounds for involuntary termination of parental rights. These are the grounds that were used against Sam in the movie I Am Sam.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the government has the right to question the parenting skills of the mentally challenged parent if the child is in harms way or if the child wants to leave. In Sam's case I do not think it was okay for the to question or try to ake lucy from him. He loved her so much and lucy loved him . They did not want to leave each other and she was okay where she was. What I learned from the Americna disablied act was that you can not dicriminate them but give them extra help. I read a article of a women who was in a wheelhair and was mentally retared byt had two kids she took care of. The government tried to take thme away but didnt because she was able to take care of them and they loved her and didnt wanna leave. If the parent is ably to take care of the basic needs amd has a job i believe it is okay. unless a the child feels unsafe or wants to leave. I feel the child would be loved a lot and taken care of.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Sam has the capacity of a 7 year old, Lucy has been raised and brought up well. She could read just fine and she loves her dad. It was obvious how much Sam loved Lucy and it was unfair taking her away from him. I believe that it is reasonable for the government to question a mentally disabled parent for his or her parenting skills, only if the child is being abused or harmed in any way. If a child is raised in a good home and has the love and care that he or she needs then the child should not be taken away, even if the parents have a disability. The termination of parental rights determines long-term mental illness or deficiency of the parent as an unfitness to parenting. The Americans with Disability Act is a civil rights law that prohibits, under certain circumstances, discrimination based on disability. A mother with intellectual disabilities had a daughter, Leya who was taken away from her. Her daughter was sent to her father who did not have a disability. When she gave Leya a bath, she noticed evidence of sexual abuse and later the father was eventually convicted and jailed for child sexual abuse.
ReplyDeleteI do not think it was fair to take Sam’s daughter was taken from him, though he had a disability, he was still taking care of his daughter and she was in no danger. She was doing good in school and had no problems. She knew her dad was different and still loved him and helped him. The American with Disability Act says that you can not discriminate against mentally disabled people but give them extra help where needed, but only if the parents intellectual level is high enough about 11 or 12 years of age. usually people with mental disabilities are the happiest people anyone could know and they just love everyone and everything. Most would never intentionally do anything to hurt or put someone in jeopardy and would do everything they could to make their child happy. If the parent is able to take care of the basic needs of their kids and has a job with steady income to live off of I believe it is okay for the parent to raise the child, unless the child feels unsafe or wants to leave. Even if for some reason the child is taken away, the parent should be able to see their child, until they are abusive. The child should not be completely removed from their parent as long as they're not in danger.
ReplyDeleteSam, a mentally handicapped man, had a one night stand with someone. Nine months later he became a father to Lucy. Sam, with the mental capacity of a seven year old, was soon beaten in education by his daughter. Sam and Lucy had an inseparable bond, that can best be described as love. Because of the lack of mental capacity, Lucy was taken away from Sam and put in foster care. I do not believe that children at any age should be removed from their parents regardless of mental retardation. The Americans with Disability Act basically decides which parents can or cannot raise their child based on brain function/capacity. I do not believe that the government should intervene in this situation. Sam had the ability to raise her, despite what other may have thought.
ReplyDeleteI have several different feelings about how Sam gets his daughter taken away from him because of his mental illness. On one hand, I do believe that every child should have the same opportunities to learn and develop. A mentally challenged person may not be able to provide all of these things. However, if they are able to provide the basic care the child needs, then I believe that the child should not be taken away from their parent(s). Instead, I think that the government should offer programs for this type of situation, so that these children can have tutors to help them with school work and to teach them things their parent(s) can’t. I also think that a child can learn a lot from having a mentally handicapped parent, such as patience and the ability to look at the true inside of a person, even if they don’t communicate or function well. I think that these children could grow up to be wonderful and kind people, which is something that our world needs more of. If the parent(s) truly cannot take care of the child because of low functionality, I think that there should be some sort of person that can be hired to live with the family to ensure that both the child and the mentally handicapped adult are being taken care of. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that each situation be evaluated individually to determine what is best for the child, and promotes reunification after the parent(s) have time to work on their parenting skills while the child is not in their care. However, the individual evaluations often do not happen and the child is immediately removed from the care of their parent(s). I think that this should not happen and that the government should follow the laws that are in place, including the ones that exist to protect the rights of people with disabilities.
ReplyDeleteI believe that if the parent is capable of taking care of the child then the government should not interfere with it. Sam was able to properly take care of Lucy despite his disability. He also asked questions when he was unsure what to do like most first time parents do. Even though he had the mental capability of a seven year old Sam was able to teach Lucy things that other parents cannot. If the parent has help from other people then they should have the right to rise there child, the government should only intervene when the disabled parent is incapable of receiving help from others. Some state laws say mental illness is a condition that can lead to loss of custody or parental rights. Parents with mental illness try not to receive mental health services for fear of losing custody of their children. Custody loss rates for parents with mental illness range as high as 70-80 percent. A higher proportion of parents with serious mental illnesses lose custody of their children than parents without mental illness. The Americans with Disability Act gives rights to those with disabilities. Disability is defined by the ADA as "...a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity." They decided if whether a particular condition is considered a disability but it is made on a case by case basis.
ReplyDeleteSam had a mental disability which effects his ability to be a parent. As a parent he is responsible to raise his child, which is hard for him to do considering he has the mental capacity of around a seven year old. Sam was able to properly take care of Lucy despite his disability. He also asked questions when he was unsure what to do like most first time parents do. Even though he had the mental capability of a seven year old Sam was able to teach Lucy things that other parents cannot. The American with Disability Act says that you can not discriminate against mentally disabled people but give them extra help where needed, but only if the parents intellectual level is high enough about 11 or 12 years of age. usually people with mental disabilities are the happiest people anyone could know and they just love everyone and everything. I do not think it was fair that Sam’s daughter was taken from him. People with mental disabilities are some of the happiest people on earth and they just love life and everyone living on earth. Its because of this that they would never do anything to hurt or purposefully endanger their children and would do everything they could to make their child happy.
ReplyDeleteI think a parent with mental disabilities should not automatically be stripped of their parental rights. Befor taking that step i think the severity of the parants mental disabilities should be taken in to consideration and wether or not they have the brain capacity and knowledge to take care of their children. In Sams case his mental illness was clearly noticable but it did not effect the love he had for his daughter. Sam was still able to love and care for her like any other father. For the most part he knew what he was doing. That is where i think the line should be drawn. The goverment has to not only take into consideration the effect the situation has on the child but the effect it has on the parent also. Taking Sams daughter away clear;y hurt him. If he was severly ill with a mental illness like they characterized him to be i really dont think them taking his daughter away would have effected him as much as it did.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.eeoc.gov/facts/fs-ada.html
https://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/groundtermin.cfm