Britney Spears, and Reforming Guardianship Law

Credit...Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

(By NASGA Director Marcia Southwick)

To the Editor:

Re “Spears’s Case Calls Attention to Wider Questions on Guardianship” (news article, July 11):

There are many questions the public should be asking about a system that removes fundamental rights from American citizens.

Our organization, the National Association to Stop Guardian Abuse, receives stacks of letters from families of elders and others who are stuck in the system. Many have lost their homes, bank accounts, property and even the freedom to leave a facility. Families and friends can be restricted from visiting or associating with a person under a guardianship.

Since a guardian has access to the protected person’s money, the potential for abuse is high. How can this be changed?

Congress needs to reconsider the Guardianship Accountability Act of 2019, which would help states collect data and improve the courts. The states should adopt the 2017 Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship and Other Protective Arrangements Act. This bill centers on preserving the rights of people under protection and creates a template for judges to consider full (plenary) guardianship as a last resort, not the first and only solution.

Thank you, Britney Spears, for breaking through the barrier of secrecy! We wish you strength in your journey to get your life back.

Marcia Southwick
Santa Fe, N.M.
The writer is a director of the National Association to Stop Guardian Abuse.

 

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Britney Spears, and Reforming Guardianship Law