Where's Molly? New Law Aids Searchers
An Oregon man’s successful search to find the younger sister who was institutionalized decades ago, when she was not quite three years old, is making it easier for others to follow in his footsteps.
It has led both to a documentary film about his quest (“Where’s Molly?”) that premiered this year, and a new state law enacted in 2005 to help relatives seeking information about long-lost family members, reports CNN.
Jeff Daly, a professional cameraman, hopes the story of his reunion with his sister will encourage others to look for institutionalized relatives. Although it is an unusual practice today, unless children are so profoundly disabled that their parents cannot properly care for them at home, some 500,000 grew up in institutions in the mid-20th century, he says. Such placements were encouraged by medical professionals.
“I think people who see the film are going to learn that people were isolated from society, and shouldn’t have been. It’s time for us to bring them back into society and recognize them,” Daly tells KGW, a Portland, Oregon, television station.
