Last week the Michigan legislature passed the so-called “Relative Placement Bill,” House Bill 4118, which requires DHS to place foster children with relatives before strangers, as long as the best interests of the child are not harmed by doing so. The law grew out of the nightmare experienced by Ahmed and Rehab Amer, who had three of their children taken from them — without reason it later turned out — and placed with strangers until they were grown, strangers who intensely focused on raising the children to not identify with their real family’s faith or culture. The Amers have worked tirelessly in their attempts to prevent other Michigan families from going through the same torture.

We applaud state Rep. Gino Polidori, who worked with the Amers to fashion the legislation and Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop and Majority Floor Leader Alan Cropsey, who made sure at the last minute the proposal did, in fact, become law. The bill was signed by Governor Jennifer Granholm this week. From now on, Michigan’s foster children will have the extremely important opportunity to stay within their own families before being sent to strangers, no matter how well-intentioned those strangers may be. Good work gentlemen!