Guardianship of Phillip B.

Opinion

RACANELLI, P. J.

Few human experiences evoke the poignancy of a filial relationship and the pathos attendant upon its disruption in society’s effort to afford every child a meaningful chance to live life to its fullest promise. This appeal, posing a sensitive confrontation between the fundamental right of parental custody and the well being of a retarded child, reflects the deeply ingrained concern that the needs of the child remain paramount in the judicial monitoring of custody. In reaching our decision to affirm, we neither suggest nor imply that appellants’ subjectively motivated…