Justina-prison
by Brian Shilhavy
Health Impact News Editor
Justina Pelletier has become a national symbol for children and families all across America who have gone through legal kidnapping. Justina and her family traveled to Washington D.C.  to promote “Justina’s Law,” a bipartisan bill proposed to end medical research on children. She received a standing ovation from members of Congress.
Justina was taken away from her parents by force at the age of 15, and held for over a year as Boston Children’s Hospital kept her confined in their psych ward. They disagreed with the family’s doctor over her diagnosis, and had the state’s “child protection” social service agency seize custody of her away from her parents, against her will and the will of her parents. What ensued was a long legal battle to get their daughter back, that probably only ended positively because her story went viral and was picked up by the national mainstream media. This because her father refused to obey a court-directed gag order and went to the media with their story. Media heavyweights such as Dr. Phil, Mike Huckabee, and Glenn Beck picked up her story.