A newborn girl has been returned to her parents three weeks after Dallas police seized her because the couple chose to treat her jaundice with their licensed midwife.
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Temecia, 38, and Rodney Jackson, 37, were due in court on Wednesday, but the hearing was canceled. According to Dallas News, their daughter Mila was returned to them after 22 days in the foster care system. Tiffani Butler, a DFPS media specialist, told the publication that the Department of Family and Protective Services recommended dismissing the family’s case and reuniting the couple with their daughter.
We did it, y’all! We kept the pressure on CPS and elected officials to return baby Mila Jackson to her family, and the day has finally come.
But this never should have happened in the first place. Systemic racism is the reason why Mila was separated from her family. Period.
We’ll keep fighting against the criminalization of Black parents, children, and midwives because NO ONE should live through this nightmare.
— The Afiya Center (@TheAfiyaCenter) April 20, 2023
Thanks to the thousands of YOU who sprung into action from our public pressure campaign, the Jacksons will be reunited this morning 🧵 pic.twitter.com/RRSZKLBxf8
— The Afiya Center (@TheAfiyaCenter) April 20, 2023
The Afiya Center, a reproductive justice advocacy group, said in a press release that families deserve the right to choose when it comes to birth and postpartum support along with informed decision making. “Mila isn’t the first Black baby to be unjustly ripped away from her family, and she won’t be the last one — unless fundamental changes are made to the child welfare and criminal justice systems,” said birth justice coordinator D’Andra Willis.
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“We need people to understand reproductive justice and freedom also means families have a right to choose when and how they want to parent. This includes informed decision making, culturally sensitive care and choosing birth and postpartum support plans that meet their specific needs.”
As previously reported, the couple opted for a home birth with a licensed midwife and took their daughter to a physician after she developed jaundice. Afterward, the doctor called the police to conduct a wellness check, leading to police and DCPS removing Mila from their home on March 25. Their court date was pushed back to April 20 due to legal documents initially having the wrong parents’ names.
Days after Mila Jackson’s birth, her mother took Mila and her two brothers on what should have been a routine visit to the pediatrician. Instead, baby Mila was ripped away from her parents’ loving care by Dallas CPS, and her father was arrested. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/7M4J2niJXH
— The Afiya Center (@TheAfiyaCenter) April 5, 2023
Texas has a terrible track record of unjustly removing Black children and infants from their homes. This injustice is yet another direct attack on Black families and the midwives who care for them.
— The Afiya Center (@TheAfiyaCenter) April 5, 2023