This week’s harrowing Arcadia, CA, case—where 21 children were removed from a couple’s home amid evidence of abuse, exploitation, and possible human trafficking tied to a surrogate “baby‑factory”—is a chilling indictment of what happens when oversight is absent.
What we know:
A 2‑month‑old with a traumatic brain injury wasn’t taken to the hospital for two days—a sign of neglect that triggered wider investigation.
Surveillance and physical evidence revealed multiple toddlers in distress, allegedly victims of nanny abuse.
Surrogates like Kayla Elliott have come forward, saying they were misled—some believed they were helping with a single child, only to discover 21 were being brought into this operation.
This wasn’t a case of families squeezed by bureaucracy or overwhelmed by poverty. These were intentional acts—trafficking masks, cover-ups, and outright cruelty. Child welfare agencies didn’t create this danger—they responded to it. They removed children from a situation most wouldn’t even imagine. Without them—without intervention—these kids would still be in that nightmare.
Abolish the system? That’s rewriting history.
We need reform, of course—less caseworker overload, more community-based support, and stronger prevention funding. But reform isn’t the same as abolition. Reform is courageous. Abolition is absent.
Let’s be clear: Every child in the Arcadia situation was kept—and rescued—because a system existed that said: Children’s safety matters.
Tear the system down, and here’s what replaces it: nothing but unchecked horror.
Let’s reimagine with purpose— not reject out of fear, ideology, or discomfort.
If we’re serious about dismantling injustice, we fight for better systems—not no systems.
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