Why might someone lose their right to raise a child?

I was thinking of writing about a teenager, 14 or 15, who finds out that her real parents are lesbians who took part in a medical experiment. One of the nuclei from one of their eggs would be swapped with the nucleus of a sperm, and that sperm would fertilise the birthing mother's egg. Then she would be opened up to a world of opposing oppinions and interesting characters. The problem is, I can't see why they wouldn't be allowed to raise the child themselves. They're already allowed to raise adopted children (in the uk, that is) so why not their own. Maybe a surge of ultra-Christian values in politics removes that right from them (it would probably be set about a decade in the future) or they are wrongly found by the bureaucracy to be unfit parents for some strange reason. Does this make sense? I'd love to hear your ideas, whether they answer the question or are simply constructive.

(What category should this go in?)

2011-06-29T17:17:35Z

And why might they then regain the right to see their daughter 14 or so years later?

2011-06-29T17:19:43Z

I did plan for her to meet her parents in the story.

2011-06-29T17:21:46Z

...while they are still together. I think a lesbian relationship would be an important element in the story.

nubsnovets2011-06-29T17:34:08Z

Favorite Answer

Most children are taken from their parents due to neglect, more specific, drug abuse. Many children in foster care are there due to one or both parents having a drug addiction. Even if only one of the parents is using the other parent can be charged with endangering the welfare of the child. The thing is, parental rights won't be taken away if the parents get treatment, ex: drug and alcohol counseling. So, maybe not the best scenario. Maybe the child could have been given up due to racism. Neighbors harrassing the lesbian couple could have made them fear for their child's safety and they felt it was best for her to live in a "normal" home with a mom and a dad.

I like the idea of another person that answered who said the child was stolen away at birth by the dr, or maybe there can be a mix up in the hospital and the lesbian couple were given a baby that died at birth and their healthy baby was given to the other couple. That has happened, almost happened to my mom. They brought her the wrong baby in the hospital lol. Good luck in writing your story. Hope it turns out well :)

Poohcat12011-06-29T17:18:12Z

wow, thats a difficult question to answer. The only two logical reasons would be abuse or neglect...but that would have to come after the child was born and abused or neglected. If it is strictly the story of the teenager who learned how she was conceived....and neither of the mothers had any contact with her in the story...then how about having both mothers killed in a car accident...or better yet....in a hate crime scenario. Lets say that the mother who actually carried the child was rushed to the hospital and they managed to do an emergency c section to save the child before the woman died.

Category....not sure.

STEVEN F2011-06-29T17:20:48Z

Perhaps they didn't lose the right to raise the child. As long as this is a fictional account, whoever conducted the experiment could have taken the child away. Perhaps the child, with the cooperation of whoever raised them, tracked down the biological parent's later.

rafferty2011-06-29T17:19:35Z

it could be as simple though as they split up and neither felt equipped to be a single parent, or perhaps their own families convinced them of it.

maybe the birthing mother had a medical event at the birth and they weren't able to properly care for the baby without help.

Anonymous2011-06-29T17:15:40Z

Being declared an unfit parent because of abusing the child, being sent to prison, being a drug addict.