Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/998318
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JUNE 27-JULY 3, 2018 UCW 5 Recently, all five living U.S. first ladies, including Laura Bush (left) and Michelle Obama (right), have spoken out against the separation of immigrant children from their parents. MARGARET DICKSON, Columnist. COMMENTS? Edi- tor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Abigail Adams, wife of the United States second president, John Adams, famously wrote to her husband in 1776 as he and other members of the Continental Congress considered formation of the newly emerging nation. She urged him to "remember the la- dies" in the "new code of laws." She knew – as women through the ages have known – that laws are nec- essary but that they must be humane and fair if people are to respect them. Human- ity and kindness have not been much in evi- dence in our nation of late, and the world is watching with amaze- ment, deep concern and a changing view of the United States. Recently, all five living U.S. first ladies – Rosal- ynn Carter, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama and Melania Trump – have spoken out against the separation of immigrant children from their parents under Mrs. Trump's husband's "zero tolerance" immigration policy. Each spoke force- fully, with Laura Bush calling the policy "cruel" and "immoral" in an op-ed in e Washington Post. Trump – forgive me! – trumped her predecessors by flying to Texas to visit two child detention facili- ties to see for herself. She clearly intended to show a kinder and gentler side of the Trump administra- tion in contrast to both her husband's family sepa- ration policy and his own words about immigrants, including "infest." Good for them! Mothers all, they understand with both their heads and their hearts that even the kindest and most capable strangers are no substitute for parents, especially for children too young to comprehend what has happened to them. President Trump has since rescinded the separation policy, but it is unclear to everyone how this will work. How will children who are released from detention get to parents who are still detained? Will our country detain children for long periods of time? Will we set up schools for detained children? Will some families never find each other again? No one knows. James A. Coan, a psychology professor at the University of Virginia, wrote for e Washington Post about the ramifications of forced separation of children and parents. "At minimum, forced separa- tion will cause these children extreme emotional distress." Quoting Nim Tottenham of Columbia University, he noted that "the sadness is not the thing that really matters here. What matters is this is a trauma to a developing nervous system." Coan added that "little minds and hearts can maintain that level of distress only for so long before the chil- dren face a horrifying decision: Continue, through severe emotional pain, to call out for their parents, or proceed on the as- sumption that their parents are gone." e latter choice means the chil- dren will mature more quickly, which results in "cognitive and emotional inflexibility later on, as well as the as- sumption that the world is extremely dangerous." Says Charles Nelson, a Harvard pediatrics professor, as such children grow into adults, they will be impaired in several ways – "direct weather- ing of their bodies and less effective problem-solving, impulse control and decision-making." President Trump has rescinded his family separation policy, but thou- sands of unaccompanied children remain in detention, and although confusion abounds, it appears that families will continue to be detained. e same day Melania Trump made her Texas visit, reports surfaced of detained children being given psycho- tropic drugs and restrained in chairs for hours, possibly days. In the mean- time, organizations working on behalf of families are struggling to match children separated from their parents with their parents. Language complicates reunion, as does the tender age of children so young or so trauma- tized that they cannot communicate any informa- tion about their families. Again, the same day as Mrs. Trump's visit to Texas, federal health officials asked military bases to prepare space to house as many as 20,000 children. Our first ladies are doing the right thing, but our Republican Congress is not listening. Partisan political concerns take precedence over the wellbe- ing of families, for which we should all be deeply troubled and ashamed. is is not the America I know and love. First ladies to the rescue by MARGARET DICKSON OPINION one year special $ 15 for UP & CoMING WEEKLY rEadErs oNLY you save 89% off Tv GuIDe MaGaZINe Get A GreAt DeAL from tV GuiDe mAGAzine start Your subscription online, By Mail or Call online: tvguidemagazine.com/newsoffer mail: complete order form below call: 1-800-365-1940 WHeN CaLLING use PRoMo: K6fNsWPZZ Every issue delivers inside scoop on your favorite shows Breaking news keeps you in the know Highlights help guide you to what's worth watching Your favorite stars take you behind the scenes 28 Pages of easy-to-use primetime listings GrEaT rEasoNs To sTarT YoUr sUBsCrIPTIoN