A South Florida couple’s battle to win their children back from state custody has inspired legislation by Broward Democratic Sen. Barbara Sharief.
“Patterson’s Law” would guarantee parents the right to physician examinations in suspected child abuse claims. Sharief’s office said there’s no recourse today for families to disprove abuse allegations after the state seizes children, even if medically valid explanations exist.
The measure is named for Michael and Tasha Patterson, whose twins remain in state custody. They deny ever abusing their boys, who they say suffer from a rare brittle bone disease found in similar cases across the U.S.
– Jesse Scheckner, Florida Politics