Due To Their Low IQs, These Parents Were Forced By The State To Give Away Their Children

We live in a scary and unstable world; you could legally be robbed of your entire life, and there's really nothing you can do about it. Apparently, governments can now determine whether you're good enough to be a parent or not. The outcome of this unusual Oregon custody case will definitely confuse you.

For almost two years, Amy Fabbrini and Eric Ziegler have been involved in a long fight to prove to the state that, despite their below-average IQs, they are fully capable of raising their two young boys. 

Thirty-one-year-old Fabbrini has an IQ of about 72, which is considered to be in the “extremely low borderline range of intelligence,” while thirty-eight-year-old Ziegler has an IQ of 66, placing him in the “mild range of intellectual disability.”

An average person's IQ is between 90 and 110.

Amy Fabbrini and Eric Ziegler

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About four years ago, the couple had their first son, Christopher, who came as a total surprise. Fabbrini was not aware that she was pregnant until it was finally time to give birth to her son in Ziegler’s home.

“Here and there I have kidney issues, so I just thought I was having kidney issues; that’s what I associated the pain with,” she told The Oregonian. “I was trying to go to sleep and trying to get comfortable… and I felt this weird pain down there.”

She was residing with Fabbrini’s father at the time, who alerted the authorities, and shortly after Christopher's birth, he was taken away from his mother.

“She doesn’t have the instincts to be a mother,” said seventy-four-year-old Raymond Fabbrini of his daughter.

Hunter, the couple's second son, was brought into this world this February. However, this time, he was taken away before they could even bring him home. Both children are currently in foster care.

Ever since she oversaw visits between the couple and Christopher, Sherrene Hagenbach has been advocating for them:

“They’re saying that this foster care provider is better for the child because she can provide more financially, provide better education, things like that,”“If we’re going on that train, Bill Gates should take my children. There’s always somebody better than us, so it’s a very dangerous position to be in.” “It feels like we have to go through so many loops to prove to them that we’re capable of taking care of our kids, and there’s still always one more thing,” Fabbrini said.

The couple has taken many classes since losing custody of Christopher. They have completed two parenting classes, a first aid class, a nutrition class, a CPR class, and psychological evaluations as well.

The couple now lives together in Ziegler’s parents' three-bedroom home, and Ziegler has obtained a driver’s license. Both parents have high school diplomas, but neither of them currently works.

The couple decorated a nursery in their home despite never having lived with their sons. They filled it with baby clothes that have never been worn and baby books that they were never able to read to their boys.

Fabbrini’s aunt, Lenora Turner, who also serves as a state-approved chaperone for the visits the parents have with Hunter, said:

“I honestly don’t understand why they can’t have their children,” she said. “I go to the grocery store and I see other people with their children, and they’re standing up in the grocery cart… and I think, how come they get to keep their children? How do they decide whose child they’re going to take and whose child can stay?”

Due to confidentiality concerns, the state refused to comment on the case; however, officials referred reporters to the court documents. According to child welfare records, Ziegler apparently had been sleeping with the baby on the floor, and some people who know him reported that he gets frustrated easily and often even “forgets to feed his dog.”

Ziegler denied all accusations and claims that he never “almost rolled over his son,” and he also pointed to his chubby dog to prove that he feeds him well and regularly.

According to a national report, about 4.1 million parents in the United States have disabilities. About 94,300 of those parents (which is 2.3%) are estimated to have cognitive disabilities.

Losing parental rights is common for around 40% to 80% of those intellectually disabled parents. These decisions directly contradict the available research that suggests that parenting capabilities are not affected by low IQ unless it is below 50. “Parental competence is not solely defined by IQ levels,” stated Dr. Daniel Goleman, a psychologist and author. “With appropriate support and resources, many parents can create nurturing environments for their children.”

“A cognitively impaired parent can still parent,” the couple’s attorney, Aron Perez-Selsky, said in court. “Their rights cannot be terminated simply because they suffer from cognitive impairment, so long as they are able to put together a plan for how they’re going to safely care for their kids with the support of people in the community.”

At least one Oregon legislator, Senator Tim Knopp (R-Bend), became aware of Fabbrini and Ziegler’s story. He said that he would support a bill to prevent the government from taking away custody solely based on a parent's disability. “I believe that every parent deserves the opportunity to raise their children, regardless of their cognitive abilities,” noted Dr. Dan Siegel, a child psychiatrist. “The focus should be on the well-being of the child and the support available to the family.”