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Case No. 22-1181

In the Interest of L.B., L.H., A.H., and S.H., Minor Children

A.H., Mother-Appellant

Attorney for Appellant Mother

Taryn R. McCarthy

Attorney for Appellee State

Dion D. Trowers, Assistant Attorney General

Guardian ad Litem

Rebecca Sharpe

Court of Appeals

Court of Appeals Opinion

Opinion Number:
22-1181
Date Published:
Oct 19, 2022
Summary

            Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Clinton County, Kimberly K. Shepherd, District Associate Judge.  AFFIRMED.  Considered by Vaitheswaran, P.J., and Greer and Schumacher, JJ.  Opinion by Greer, J.  (8 pages)

            The mother appeals the termination of her parental rights to four of her children.  She challenges the grounds for termination, asserts the loss of her rights is not in the children’s best interests, and urges us to apply an exception to termination to save the parent-child relationships.  In the alternative, she requests additional time to work toward reunification or that the children be placed in a guardianship with their maternal great-grandparents while she maintains her parental rights.  OPINION HOLDS: We cannot say the mother could resume parenting if given a short extension, and a guardianship is not in the children’s best interests.  We affirm termination of the mother’s rights to S.H., A.H., and L.H. under Iowa Code section 232.116(1)(f) (2022) and to L.B. under paragraph (h). 

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