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:
Date Published:
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).
