41.   In some instances, he said, it is more important to remove a child from an abusive and dangerous situation.

42.   In the aftermath of the child abuse charges, county authorities removed several children from Heartland who had been placed there by courts in eastern Missouri.

43.   It made no recommendation that the children be removed.

44.   Judges are finding that they must remove children from their homes for their own protection.

45.   Mariner, of Human Rights Watch, an independent human-rights organization, said one justification for removing children is the lack of prison classifications.

46.   More than a month after her children were removed, the woman has yet to have a judge rule on whether she should have them.

47.   Once a homeless mother was ejected, child welfare officials could even remove the children and put them in foster care to keep them off the streets.

48.   Once again, Ms. Bennett was cited for neglect and the children were removed, this time to live with the maternal grandmother.

49.   Removing a child takes the approval of a supervisor, an assistant state attorney general, a Foster Care Review Board member and a judge.