Boston Hospital Cuts Back on Reporting Child Abuse to Authorities Because 'Structural Racism'

AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery, file

One word: Insanity. 

Twelve words: How does this absurd "woke" decision help minorities, most importantly, minority children? 

The insanity of "woke" not only continues; it continues to metastasize and attempt to sweep under the rug even the most vile acts committed against society. In this case, child abuse and child neglect.

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A Boston, Massachusetts, hospital announced on Tuesday that after finding black mothers were more likely to be reported to authorities for child abuse and neglect if a toxicology report came back positive, it would take steps to reevaluate its process to avoid perpetuating "structural racism." 

I'm sick to death of that term (excuse), are you? Let's continue.

Mass General Brigham, a nonprofit healthcare system, announced (emphasis, mine):

As a part of our United Against Racism effort to achieve health equity for patients and communities across our system, we have prioritized health conditions with the greatest racial disparities in outcomes and are addressing policies that may unwittingly perpetuate structural racism

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a condition with significant racial and ethnic inequities, especially in the context of pregnancy, when more punitive approaches to substance use disproportionately affect Black individuals

Studies — including some within our system — have found that Black pregnant people are more likely to be drug tested and to be reported to child welfare systems than white pregnant people.

I'd need to see the data to confirm the above, but either way, this is insane. Tell it to physically, sexually, mentally, or emotionally abused children. 

While you're at it, ask those traumatized kids if they give a damn about the "structural racism" excuse while Mass General Brigham refuses to report their abuse to law enforcement agencies because those kids are black. Is that not the quintessential definition of "racism" — in and of itself? Heck yes, it is.

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Then it got even worse.

Sarah Wakeman, MD, senior medical director for Substance Use Disorder, Mass General Brigham put it this way:

Our new perinatal testing and reporting policy is the latest step in our efforts to address longstanding inequities in substance use disorder care and to provide compassionate, evidence-based support to families while addressing substance use disorder as a treatable health condition.

This policy reflects an emerging consensus, based on sound science, that is being embraced by our peer institutions and was developed in coordination with a wide range of partners.

Translation: These hypocrites want it both ways.

How does a healthcare system address child abuse by refusing to report such abuse to law enforcement authorities based solely on race? Is that "sound science," Dr. Wakeman? Moreover, as I suggested earlier, do abused children of color give a damn about your self-defined "inequities," or are they more concerned about stopping the abuse they face? Rhetorical questions, of course.

Allison Bryant, MD, MPH, the associate chief health equity officer at Mass General Brigham, said the new policy says reports "after delivery should be filed only if there is reasonable cause to believe that the infant is suffering or at imminent risk of suffering physical or emotional injury and that ‘substance exposure’ alone, including treatment with methadone or buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, does not require a report of abuse or neglect in the absence of protective concerns for the infant."

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She added:

The updated policy reflects our focus on providing safe and equitable care for all patients. The process allowed us to turn our lens inward to understand our own contributions to stigma and inequity and strive to fix them.

Meanwhile, I suspect that untold numbers of children of color will ultimately pay the price for this race-centric decision.

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