Samantha's Law
Samantha's Law is a Albertan child protection law. The life and circumstances surrounding Samantha Lauren Martin, a child with a rare chromosome disorder, Tetrasomy 18p, led her biological non-custodial mother, Velvet Martin, to challenge archaic laws inhibiting the rights of persons with disability and their families. On December 3, 2009, "Samantha's Law" was created. It is an amendment to the Alberta Family Support for Children with Disabilities Act, and became effective retroactive to December 2006.[1]
Background
Samantha Martin was in the custody of the Canadian government. She lived in a foster care facility in Alberta, Canada. On December 3, 2006, Samantha died at age 13 while a patient at Stollery Children's Hospital.
Samantha's Law is an amendment to legislation which requires that participants in the Family Support for Children with Disabilities Program are recognized as legally distinct from children in protective services under the intervention model. Government funding for services must be made available to families directly, replacing requirement of guardianship relinquishment and out-of-home placement to achieve necessary medical supports.