"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
-Dylan Thomas
Recent events in our country have been hitting home for me as a doctor, a mother, and a human being. It brings up great pain for me to watch what is happening to children at the hands of our government. I will not be a bystander while children are being stolen from their families without any thought or consideration to the psychological damage that is being inflicted upon them. Make no mistake, this is terrorism. This is cruelty in one of its ugliest forms.
I was not born in this great country, and neither were my parents. I was born and raised in an international environment in Saudi Arabia. I went to SAIS-R, an international school that celebrated all cultures and religions. I was raised to learn from others and respect them for who they are, not discriminate against them because they were different. I am a better person for all the lessons I learned from my international friends, and we have a close-knit community with each other based on our shared experiences.
Principles of acceptance, respect, tolerance and kindness go a long way.
Our founding fathers were all immigrants, just like many of our citizens. Every one of the 56 names on the Declaration of Independence belongs to an immigrant, and a few became president. The foundations of freedom, liberty and equality are what they believed in because they wanted to escape the tyranny of England. When my parents immigrated here legally, it was with the hope of the American Dream in their hearts. My children are first-generation Americans, and I want them to be proud of that fact; I want to be proud again, too.
How long will we stand by and watch out great country and all the principles it was founded upon be thrown away? What will it take for each of us to stand up against this tyranny and say, "No more?" We need to give a voice to the thousands of children and their families who are suffering for the decisions that our current government is making. As a doctor, if I were to see such treatment of a child within our society, I have a duty to report that treatment to Child Protective Services. In my professional, medical opinion, these children being ripped from their parents and placed into custody is abusive.
As citizens, if we do not have a clear voice in our government, it is all of our responsibilities to speak up and hold those responsible, accountable for their actions. That is a citizen's duty to America. Terrorizing people and stealing children in the night is not how we make America great again. Government is supposed to be for the people, by the people. This government's policies in regard to separating families and abducting children do not represent me, and they do not represent family values.
Sherin Ibrahim Howett, DO
Millsboro
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