I am humbly honored to have been featured in “Slandering the Unborn” (“A Woman’s Rights” editorial series, nytimes.com, Dec. 28). As one of the mothers who suffered during the 1990s crack epidemic, I want to thank The New York Times for its apology for how it demonized mothers like me and for its brilliant journalism. The apology is welcomed, and it gives me hope.
I want to apologize as well — to society, the media, my family and my children. My child welfare case happened because of my drug use, which was due to untreated trauma in my childhood. Without my using drugs, my son would not have been born with drugs in his system, and my parental rights to both my daughter and son would not have been terminated.
The broken entity that is child welfare system and the racism that is so embedded in this society had prominent roles in how my child welfare case played out. Nevertheless, the ultimate responsibility of not having raised my children rests with me.
[For more on this letter by Suzanne Sellers, go to https://www.nytimes.com/2019/0...others-children.html]
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