When Justin Harris and his wife adopted 2 little girls from the foster system, they were making a commitment to protect them and provide the stability of a family. Instead, after six months Mr. Harris and his wife re-homed the two girls like pets that didn’t work out. The worst part is they gave them away to Eric Francis who went on to sexually assault at least one of the girls. Mr. Harris knows better. He is a representative in the Arkansas House, sits on the committee of Children and Youth, and he runs a Christian school. Eric Francis, the man they gave their adopted daughters away to, was a teacher at that Christian school.

Mr. Harris failed these children and, at the very least, has shown a lack of good judgement. I started this petition to call on Rep. Justin Harris to resign immediately.

My name is Lisa Southerland, and I am a social worker who works with emotionally and behaviorally disturbed children in Arkansas. I have worked with children and families who have experienced failed adoptions. It is a stressful and heartbreaking experience when an adoption doesn’t work out. When done responsibly, the Department of Human Services’ (DHS) protocol is followed for what to do if adoptive parents decide an adoption is not the right fit. Rep. Harris understood this better than anybody since he chairs the committee that works closely with DHS.

Rep. Harris decided not to use the protocol of going through DHS when he felt he could no longer parent the 2 girls. He decided to use a horrible gap in Arkansas law. Arkansas doesn’t have a law making it illegal to give adopted children away to another family. While this legal gap needs to be fixed, Mr. Harris knew this was not the right course of action. Clearly, Justin Harris was not in a position to determine how fit Eric Francis was to be a parent. That is a job for DHS. Had he gone through DHS, this all could have been avoided.

I wish there wasn’t a need for this petition, but Rep. Justin Harris sees nothing wrong with his actions. In fact, Rep. Harris says he is the victim. Harris says he was afraid he would have been charged with abandonment had he re-homed through DHS. The only victims are 2 girls who were forced to live with a pedophile because Rep. Harris used his influence to adopt the girls and then a loophole to conveniently get rid of them.

It is time Rep. Justin Harris resign. You didn’t serve the interest of these children and you can no longer serve the interests of your constituents. Please sign and share the petition today.