If I had even suspected that there was a hint of a shadow of a chance that calling the police would result in my children being taken from me, I would have let my ex-husband beat me until I could get out of there on my own. As it was, I was told by the police in early 1992 that if I left any (of my three) child in the house with my ex-husband when I left, he would get custody of all of them.
In pre-1992 Maryland, restraining orders were hard to come by and you could only get them for 2 weeks. In October of 1992, Maryland passed a law that gave 6 months and allowed the battered spouse to get custody of the children and the home. By November, I was out of there, got my restraining order, custody and had to apply for welfare and food stamps.
I don't understand why they didn't provide help to the ENTIRE family (mother and children) to get them safe. Where is the concern for her safety/well-being/emotional stability?
In the time before, during and just after leaving my ex-husband, I was literally suicidal and would have killed myself if not for my children. If the state had removed the incentive to stay alive (allowed them to be adopted), I would not be here today.
Responsibility - how many times did this woman see that her husband was getting angry at a child and distract him enough to take the beating herself rather than let him hit her child?
Sorry... this infuriates me.
= new reply since forum marked as read