*** FREE JUSTINA ACTION PAGE ***

Latest Update - April 30:

The battle to free 15-year-old Justina Pelletier from her custody -- many have called it captivity -- by the Massachusetts Department of Families and Children (DCF) bureaucracy has become even more heated over the past week. And it has continued to make news internationally and be documented across the Internet.

More background on this horrible situation.

Budget item goes down. Last night (April 29) the House budget item amendment (#603), filed by two GOP State Reps, that would have freed Justina, was defeated -- simply killed by the leadership. We applaud the reps for trying this; it's a tough venue. This leaves HD 4212 as the only vehicle in the Legislature that will get the job done.

There were a lot of signs like this outside the State House this week. [Photos by MassResistance]

Shocking deaths of children force sudden resignation of DCF head

On Tuesday the Commissioner of DCF, Olga Roche, was forced to resign after three young children in DCF's care were recently found dead through apparent negligence by the department. The deaths of these children have shocked the region, and have taken some of the public's attention off of the Justina Pelletier DCF case.

Governor continues to refuse to act

The Governor has continued to shamefully defend the process and claim that he can do nothing to stop it:

• Last week, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick stated that the decision to remove Justina from her parents was made "based on a detailed record of the history of neglect in the home." That was blatantly false, and the local press wasted no time excoriating the Governor for this unwarranted attack on the family.
• But also last week, Governor told a family representative that he wanted to get Justina home and that his administration has "appeared in court to have her sent home to Connecticut" but that "the court has jurisdiction in this matter, not us."
• On Thursday, the Governor's Health and Human Services Secretary John Polanowicz wrote an email to the Connecticut media, where Justina's family lives, saying that Massachusetts would like to release Justina, but "DCF does not have the authority to determine when and if custody should be returned to Justina's parents" because of the judge's ruling "that it is in the best interest of Justina to remain in DCF custody for now. "

Can the Governor free Justina? Given that she is a citizen of Connecticut, and given the other enormous irregularities of this case, and given that he controls DCF, it's hard to believe that an executive order in that regard would not be possible. But if not, the Legislature can.

Bill to free Justina being temporarily blocked in Mass. House

The bill in the Massachusetts Legislature which would overrule the judge and free Justina immediately, HD 4212, written by MassResistance and filed on April 4, continues to be blocked by the Democratic leadership in the House, despite national outrage and a flood of calls and emails from across the country. (More about the bill can be found on our Free Justina Action Page.)

On Friday, the national conservative magazine Human Events reported on the bill, its blockage in the Legislature, and the controversy over whether the Governor has the power to free her himself:

Pressure must continue on Mass. House Democrats to pass HD 4212

The offices of the House and Senate Democrat leadership need to continue getting a flood of phone calls and emails from Massachusetts and around the country. We encouraging people to call the two House leaders, and the two Senate leaders.

But in addition, we want people to call their own Mass. State Senator and Representative -- or call them even if you don't live in the district. Tell them that you demand the Democratic leadership stop blocking bill HD 4212!

The Democrats hold the power to make this happen but are holding it up. Much of this, as we've said before, is to avoid antagonizing the Governor. Well, we're all tired of those political games! This girl needs to be freed!

What you can do: Keep up the pressure & spread the word!

We continue to believe wholeheartedly that this bill -- HD 4212 -- is the most direct way to get Justina freed. And it gives everyone across the country an opportunity to do something that makes a difference!

Other actions going on to help Justina

Other groups are trying other ways to help free Justine. Here's the latest:

Writ of Habeas Corpus filed by Liberty Counsel. This is certainly a shrewd and bold move. We applaud them for doing it. In a normal place, it would be a no-brainer that Justina would be back home in ten minutes from that. But here, it could take weeks to work itself through the hostile Massachusetts court system, and who knows how it might end up. But we're glad they're doing it! There are apparently also some other lawsuits being filed by Liberty Counsel.

We're also continuing to stay in touch with our contacts in Washington DC regarding national legislation and other activity that might be going on.

Let's all keep up this fight. Keep checking this page!