Seven-month-old Aaden Moreno’s lifeless body was recovered from the Connecticut River in Middletown on July 7, three days after he was thrown from the Arrigoni Bridge by his father, Tony Moreno. At a court appearance for the father, who faces criminal charges, a lawyer called the death of the child “a bottomless tragedy,” a description that suggests it could not have been prevented, and its reverberations through countless lives will be never-ending. But as a responsible society, we can and must look closely at how two young parents could be so completely failed by a system that had the tools and the knowledge to intervene, but never made the right connections.
CT Viewpoints
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Connecticut must find balance on medical marijuana issue
I recently came across an op-ed in the Hartford Courant written by Dr. Yifrah Kaminer on July 5. He outlined his concerns and opinions about Connecticut’s medical marijuana program — including his opposition to a proposal to spend $60,000 to educate physicians and patients about medical marijuana. As a board certified pediatrician who has been practicing for 38 years, I felt compelled to respond.
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Connecticut death penalty ruling ends costly, ineffective policy
The Connecticut Supreme Court’s ruling that our state’s capital punishment law is unconstitutional has fulfilled all of the objectives of the Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty. The ruling has put an end to a broken policy that prolonged the legal process, and as a result sometimes inflicted additional harm on murder victims’ families.
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For the sake of Connecticut’s children, embrace the SBAC data
The Washington Post recently published a piece by Superintendent Thomas Scarice, who leads a school district much like the leafy Connecticut suburban town that I grew up in. In fact, I grew up in the town right next door, but I couldn’t disagree more with the superintendent’s piece. Here’s why.
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Body cams will help protect police from troublesome citizens, too
I have been a law enforcement officer with a mid-sized municipal agency for almost five years. The debate over whether officers should be wearing body cameras to me seems long overdue, but not for the reasons most are talking about. The reason I believe police should wear body cameras is to me not just a matter of checking our integrity and conduct (although that certainly will be a benefit), but is more a matter of checking the integrity and conduct of the people we come into contact with.
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Body cameras are a benefit to all Connecticut
Cell phone or closed circuit video give hints, conflicting testimony often raises doubts, and the ensuing debate often leaves the public’s confidence in law enforcement severely shaken. For all our benefit, we should have a neutral account of police encounters in Connecticut. The new Connecticut state law that will provide funding for the implementation and use of body cameras by every police officer in Connecticut is beneficial not only for the general public, but for law enforcement as well.
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In Connecticut, let us teachers tell our students stories
Midsummer. Teachers stand metaphorically alongside me on the edge of a precipice looking out over a deceptively vast pool of summer’s blue water. Eager to dive back in, we gaze at the path we have traveled these past months. The allusion to Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” fits life’s many transitions. But while Frost’s speaker […]
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Murphy’s mental health bill helpful, but won’t prevent mass shootings
Your Aug. 4 article entitled “Murphy presses for mental health overhaul,” by prominently featuring references to recent tragedies, implies that mental illnesses are responsible for acts of mass violence. This myth, which has been thoughtlessly perpetuated by this article, only serves to increase the reluctance of people living with mental health conditions to disclose their illnesses and to seek the help they need, for fear of how others will react and the negative consequences that will follow: discrimination, isolation, and shame.
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CT students with disabilities need to choose college wisely
The National Council on Disability reported this year that students with disabilities are entering higher education at roughly the same rate as their non-disabled peers. But current research reflects that only 34 percent of students in this demographic are completing a four year degree after eight years. So parents and students need to assure that the institution they are considering understands the law and has the resources available to meet the student’s individual needs. If your college-bound student is one of the estimated 2 million students with a disability, there are some important issues to consider.
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SBAC: Failing most Connecticut children in more ways than one
The Connecticut SBAC scores will be released by the State Department of Education any day now. The scores will be low. You will be told that the low scores are because the SBAC tests are rigorous and our students don’t measure up. Don’t believe it. … It is our job as citizens and parents to tell students the truth about SBAC. It is our job as educators to keep teaching and assessing students in real and honest ways. Otherwise, we adults are the failures.
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Forget mileage taxes; claw back diverted transportation funds
Television and published reports have recently covered the talks going on in Hartford about ways to fund Gov. Dannel Malloy’s $100 billion, 30-year transportation infrastructure plan. These include discussion of a plan to tax motorists according to the number of miles they drive. Before this plan is even considered, I have a radical idea: tally up every nickel that has been diverted from the Transportation Fund over the past 20 years — by BOTH PARTIES — along with what social programs or agencies were the recipient of those diverted funds. Then, every nickel of those diverted funds should be clawed back from their budgets and re-deposited into the Transportation Fund and used for the intended purpose of transportation infrastructure maintenance.
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Happy birthday, Medicaid, and CT’s HUSKY
Happy birthday, Medicaid! Our kids and our state have a lot to celebrate: a state-federal health coverage program that helps needy youngsters, promotes familial economic stability, and reduces industry costs. As citizens, we can all celebrate 50 years of a program that binds us together, channels our shared civic responsibility, and invests in our state’s most valuable and precious resource, our children.
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CT a leader in Medicaid dental care, but room for improvement
Medicaid’s mandated Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment provision, along with proven innovations in adult programs in forward-looking states like Connecticut, have proven that we can put good oral health within reach of the most vulnerable. The state of dental care in Medicaid is far from perfect, but it has worked for millions and can work for millions more. We should celebrate the program on its 50th birthday and commit to doubling down on dental care.
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NARAL attack on CT pregnancy centers unwarranted and wrong
ABC Women’s Center, a non-profit organization in Middletown offering free support services to women facing unplanned pregnancies, has this response to a report released by NARAL Pro Choice CT entitled, “The Right To Lie.” The report is part of a nationwide strategy by abortion advocacy groups to harm the reputation of those charitable entities providing critical pregnancy support services in communities across the state. As part of Care Net, a national pregnancy center affiliation organization, ABC Women’s Center complies with an industry set of standards called ‘The Commitment of Care and Competence’ which ensures that every client is treated with respect and compassion.
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Paid family leave act could help CT economy and prevent foreclosures
As part of my work for the Women’s Economic Agenda for Connecticut Working Families, I spent the legislative session collecting the stories of women who earn, on average, $15,000 per year. Many don’t have any health insurance outside of Title 19 and they have no savings. Lack of paid family leave devastated their lives when they gave birth or underwent surgery. As a result, many have lost all hope that they can ever own a home. But higher income Connecticut residents – homeowners – are affected by the lack of paid family and medical leave as well, perhaps in even more drastic ways and they don’t even know it. Here’s why a state-funded study on the issue is essential.