ELLEN KENNEDY:
Thank you. My expertise, my field
of practice is in pediatric nursing.
And as a result, I witnessed many
children in public health nursing
who were the products of a difficult
divorce.
And I had children
in my office who would sit on a
couch, rocking back and forth, and
simply sobbing because they thought
they were the reason that daddy
left. And their mother had told
them that. And I have seen very
sad cases in nursing from divorced
parents.
...His former
wife brought a complaint against him
of physical abuse. It was a complaint
that has been disproved by State agencies.
But while he was there in court, he
was berated for at least half an hour
by the judge as an abusive father,
which he is not.
...But the judge
went on for half an hour saying how
abusive he was, what a bad father
he was. Then went into the Irish revolution
and the Israeli war. I really didn't
get all of this. I felt it was out
of context.
...I have now been
unable to see my grandchildren for
more than 15 months, except for
a 15-minute period on three separate
occasions. These are grandchildren
that I love dearly. And my son has
not been able to see his at all.
I believe the youngest is convinced
that she did something so that daddy
is not there anymore. Actually,
daddy is there. He is in their home,
but mother is now in another home
with a friend that she tells the
children is their parent, and puts
on school records that this is their
parent, her boyfriend. ...I
want my grandchildren to be able to
see me and for me to hug them and
kiss them. And I want, they want to
see their daddy. They're crying to
see him. And we really have suffered
greatly along with them, but especially
they have suffered from this lack
of equality.
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