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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