Rabies Mom
Rabies Mom is the sad and true story of a neglectful mother and legal system that not only fails to protect our children but often encourages poor parentling. After losing his child to rabies, author Pat Carroll looked for answers. He knew there was a problem when his ex-wife had not disclosed to the doctor that their child had been bitten by a bat although he had specifically asked if their daughter had been bitten by any animals. This lack of information resulted in treatment being given too late to help.
Of course, trying to rescue his remaining children was a complete nightmare. With an ineffective court system that prolonged the danger to his children it took a tireless crusade to finally win custody. This is a fine example of the problems with the family court system and how it fails to protect, and often is a part of the harm to the children it claims to help. The scary part is that this is not a rare single incident but part of the pattern that has become the prevailing system. The even sadder part is that his experience is not the worst example of how bad the system has become. In my area we have Judge Kevin Carey of the Thirteenth Circuit Court of Florida who actually ordered a father to participate in a criminal act or face a reduction in visitation with his child. When the father did not the judge did order reduced visitation.
It takes a strong person to stand up against this system and not become discouraged. You will feel deeply for Pat Carroll and he tries to rescue his children and find justice in an unjust system. He does eventually prevail, but the cost is high and this book clearly illustrates the dedication required to win. People interested in fathers rights, children's rights and justice at any level should read this to understand what you should expect and the toll it will take to do what is right.
Pat Carroll and co-author Jack McGowan now pursue fathers rights advocacy and have set up the Better Parent Foundation, Inc. to push for better child custody laws and better funding for child protective services. Rabies Mom is a required reading for anyone who wants to understand the battles being fought for our children and the bureaucracy that often protects the unfit parent through prejudice and common practices.