Indian mother fights US for new-born baby

A 22-year-old woman visiting the United States on a tourist visa is running from pillar to post to get custody of her new-born baby. The baby was taken away by authorities in Florida, thanks to the State's 'overzealous' child protection system.

The Florida Department of Children and Families took the four week old Krinna from her mother Parita Patel because of the apprehension that the mother cannot take care of the child.

Patel, who arrived in the US in October , was unaware that she was pregnant. In January, she met with an accident leading to the premature birth of the baby. Her husband Vikash Patel and other family members did not accompany her to the US.

She stayed with a friend in New Jersey, and then with another friend in Tampa, when she went into labour.

"When social workers found Patel did not have a home here and no work, they took the child into custody May 31," Malti Pandyan, a community activist from Tampa told rediff.com.

Under Florida's child and family welfare law, a child can be separated from the mother if authorities determine the mother does not have either a shelter or a home of her own.

"The woman is in a very awkward situation for no fault of her's. The community here is terribly upset," Pandyan said.

The community woke up to Patel's plight after Tampa Bay Online broke the story on Friday. Many people have come forward to help her.

The web site quoted department spokesman Any Ritter as saying that 'when parents prove to the courts that they had stable housing and solved any other existing problems, they get their child back.'

"It is ironical that Patel cannot work here. It will be a violation of federal law for a foreign visitor. But clearly she has the financial support she needs (to support the baby)," Patel's attorney Scott Davis told rediff.com.

"Part of the reason (for her plight) is that we have an overzealous child protection system in Florida," he said.

Patel made her second appearance in a Tampa court last week. Her arraignment is scheduled for Friday.

Davis said he had not received copies of the formal petition containing charges against Patel.

Will Patel be able to return to India with her baby? Davis explained that it is possible if the baby, who was in pre-natal intensive care unit, and the mother is declared medically fit for air travel.

Pandyan added that Patel was given an extension of her six month tourist visa after the car accident and that she has been living here legally.