MI couple let baby die from jaundice because God doesn't make mistakes

[VaSportsMom]

I hope I'm not overlooking a thread about this.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4930978/Jaundice-kills-baby-parents-refuse-treatment-her.html

 

A Lansing, Michigan, couple has been charged with manslaughter after refusing treatment for their newborn daughter who died from jaundice.  -- snipped--'She told Rachel the baby could suffer brain damage or die if not properly cared for,' Lansing Police Detective Peter Scaccia said.

 

He continued to say that Rachel declined to seek any medical treatment for Abigail, stating 'God makes no mistakes,' and implied that the newborn was fine.

 

But the baby's condition only worsened and on February 8, Abigail started to cough up blood.

 

And instead if taking the infant to the doctor, Rachel put her child 'near a window wearing just a diaper utilizing a hair dryer to keep her warm,' Detective Scaccia told the Lansing Journal.

 

 Both Josh and Rachel reached out to friends and fellow church members to come to their home and pray for Abigail's resurrection, but never called the police.'

 

 

 

[Khan]

According to that article the baby's grandmother saw the signs of illness but didn't do anything. What koolaid are these people drinking?  I worry for the welfare of their two other children. Will they be cared for by the grandmother who listened to her daughter and allowed a baby to die an agonizing death?

[Cleopatra7]

Those parents are beyond stupid to have thought that prayer alone would stop blooding from the nose and mouth. It also wouldn't surprise me if they get off completely since they were acting from "sincerely held beliefs."

[VaSportsMom]

2 hours ago, Khan said:

According to that article the baby's grandmother saw the signs of illness but didn't do anything.

The grandmother said her daughter wouldn't let her call for help. Her granddaughter was dying, bleeding from the mouth and nose! Why would you even stop to ask permission? You would have had to pry the phone from my hands to keep me from making that call. I wonder if the daughter was raised with those beliefs or if she was introduced to them later. 

[BlackSheep]

Have these miserable excuses for parents ever used a lozenge for a cough? Balm for chapped lips? An aspirin for a headache? A bandage for a cut?

Do they brush their teeth to prevent cavities?

If so, then their beliefs are not deeply held.

[AlwaysDiscerning]

I saw this and thought of Lori. She has said often "God doesn't make mistake" or "His word never comes back void". This stuff just really pisses me off. 

[Howl]

When I dove into this crazy, I assumed the parents were very, very young.  But no, they are both early 30s-ish, with two other children.  Hoping they will do some hard time for this.  

[Eternalbluepearl]

I don't have a response for this other than tears. I am crying for that baby. When will the ignorance stop? 

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

I'm glad that the parents can be charged in baby Abigail's death. I guess the lawmakers in Michigan care more about children than the lawmakers in my state. If this happened here, the parents couldn't be charged. I wonder what church or type of church these parents belong to.

Quote

They then brought Abigail upstairs to pray for her. Joshua continued to massage Abigail, attempting to get her good air. Both Josh and Rachel reached out to friends and fellow church members to come to their home and pray for Abigail's resurrection, but never called the police.'

Officers learned of the child's death after Rachel's brother called from California and told them of Abigail's death. 

When police arrived they discovered the dead infant and people praying over her body.  

(my bold)

The two possibilities I'm familiar with are Christian Scientist and Followers of Christ. I may try to see if I can find an article from a Michigan source. Sometimes local news includes more details.

 

Well, I found an article from the Lansing State Journal. It does include the name of the church the couple attended.

Quote

At the time of their daughter's death, the Pilands appear to have been involved with a Lansing-based bible school called Faith Tech Ministries, which describes itself online as nondenominational but similar to other “full gospel” or “Pentecostal” organizations.

Joshua Piland has posted online videos of missionary trips to Kenya with the group, and in 2016 he was listed as a speaker at a Divine Healing Conference, organized by Faith Tech Ministries. 

His LinkedIn profile indicates he left the organization in February, the same month his daughter died.

I hope these parents are convicted for manslaughter.

[Lurky]

Everything about this case is horrible.  The death of that poor child is devastating, but imagine being the parents if/when they realise it was avoidable, and their church is so wrong?   And what will happen to the other poor kids, because if the parents don't change their beliefs, they are in danger.  

It was a homebirth, but I was wondering, aren't midwives mandatory reporters, or does it vary state to state in the USA?  I think that if this happened in the UK, the midwife would have a responsibility to report her concerns to social services, who would mandate treatment.  I would imagine they'd also be held culpable if they hadn't done so, and would have to face professional consequences as a result. 

[JMO]

This makes me physically ill.  That poor baby suffered for most of it's too brief life.  These parents don't deserve their other children and should serve full sentences. I pray that they realize the full extent of what they did.  That will be hell on earth for them.  

[Anonymousguest]

8 hours ago, Lurky said:

It was a homebirth, but I was wondering, aren't midwives mandatory reporters, or does it vary state to state in the USA?  I think that if this happened in the UK, the midwife would have a responsibility to report her concerns to social services, who would mandate treatment.  I would imagine they'd also be held culpable if they hadn't done so, and would have to face professional consequences as a result. 

It would vary by state. If the state doesn't recognize home birth midwives they practice with no oversight. 

 

[waterandrocks]

Wouldn't hiring a midwife in the first place be a potential medical intervention for them? Their beliefs seems more in line with having an unassisted birth.

[Khan]

I'm also wondering why this useless father didn't know infant and child CPR? I took the class when I found out I was going to be an aunt. Some things are so important that they should be taught to all parents and caregivers. It wouldn't have saved this poor little girl, I know. I guess I shouldn't ask why someone who prayed for resurrection instead of dialing 9-1-1 was not smart enough to prepare for parenthood.  Grr!

[3splenty]

Let me start by saying I am a member of a fairly conservative church.  We believe in the power of prayer, but we were also given brains to use!  Our kids are up to date on vaccines, go to the doctor when ill (and for well visits), and follow treatment plans (all of my kids have ADHD and are on meds).  

My question is, have the parents ever denied themselves treatment?  

[PennySycamore]

As someone who had severe Rh jaundice when I was born and had to be rushed to Greenville General right after birth for exchange transfusions and as a mother who lost a child, these parents have not one ounce of sympathy from me.  My dad and maternal grandmother were the ones who took me to Greenville General.  (Ambulance service, even if available, would have been expensive.)  It just completely blows my mind that these asshole parents would not do everything to make sure their baby survived.

[FakePigtails]

12 hours ago, Lurky said:

It was a homebirth, but I was wondering, aren't midwives mandatory reporters, or does it vary state to state in the USA?  I think that if this happened in the UK, the midwife would have a responsibility to report her concerns to social services, who would mandate treatment.  I would imagine they'd also be held culpable if they hadn't done so, and would have to face professional consequences as a result. 

The US has a mix of midwife types and only nurse midwives (CNMs) are equivalent to midwives like in the UK. The other types can be a free-for-all with minimal education and training required, and sometimes almost no (meaningful at least) oversight (certified professional midwives - CPMs).

I too wonder more about what happened with the midwife regardless of her credential. Did she just assume the baby was going to be taken to the hospital or what? There are so many points where this baby could have been saved even with the parents being idiots 

[Carol]

According to Paul Miller of Paul Abigail Miller, these parents had the god given right to do this.  It's all OK and the gov't had no business stepping in.  Parents always know what's best.

Jesus is coming and he's really pissed. 

[feministxtian]

can I have 5 minutes alone with these "parents"? Please? I need to work off the rage that builds when I'm off my meds. 

[ColeJo]

This makes me so mad. And to think that in my state, these parents would not even be prosecuted. For the sake of the children, I want this particular sect considered a terrorist group. These people don't realize how much these children suffer because of their belief of not using modern medicine.

As far of freedom of exercising religion, I draw the line on letting your own children die. It went out the window when their religion means more to them than their children.

[Christwriter]

I've been talking about this story on various mommy groups on Facebook all day. 

Based on the fact that there isn't any mention of jaundice until the following day, it sounds a lot like dehydration/starvation symptoms to me. Like maybe mom didn't have any milk and didn't supplement and the baby died of complications from starvation. 

What is really disgusting to me is the treatment for jaundice, at least for a while, is ultraviolet light. Both me and my brother had jaundice as a baby and our mom was told to stick us in the sunlight for treatment. A trip to the pediatrician doesn't automatically mean an artificial intervention. This could have been as easy as giving the baby a bottle of formula and sticking her in the sun like a plant. 

And yeah, I'm pretty religious (in a weird way. I am not allowed to debate theology with my family any more) but God doesn't usually save us from our own stupidity. Especially if it's complicated by our pride and cruelty. I almost took my daughter to the ER because she cried hysterically after a particularly large spit up, then fell asleep. I literally cannot imagine seeing her jaundiced and lethargic, and not immediately taking her to the hospital. 

[apple1]

Sorry, I know it's a cliché here, but... I am a very longtime allied health professional (clinical lab scientist).

There is definitely jaundice that requires more than putting a baby in sunlight, and/or giving a bottle of formula, or even professional phototherapy ("bili lights"). Professionals also do not just judge based only on visual observation. There is a test called bilirubin (and other testing if needed). If the infant's bilirubin reaches a dangerous level (there is a curve of values that also depends on the baby's age in days and weight) the baby may need IVIG treatment or exchange transfusion. This matters, not only because extreme levels could be fatal, but also because bilirubin levels that are too high cause brain damage even if the baby lives.

Whatever the cause, there was no reason for this child to die.

[Howl]

12 hours ago, Carol said:

According to Paul Miller of Paul Abigail Miller, these parents had the god given right to do this.  It's all OK and the gov't had no business stepping in.  Parents always know what's best.

Jesus is coming and he's really pissed. 

From Paul Abigail Miller, this review of Plexus with a shout out to someone recognized by fj as The. Best. Fundy. Mom + everyone's favorite shamelessly relentless Plexus Pusher: 

Spoiler

 

MY PLEXUS JOURNEY - UPDATE

Many of you may remember that several months ago I decided to try Plexus and give reports on my progress. It started out well, but if any of you have followed our family's circumstances over the last 10 weeks or so, you know that we've gone through some serious challenges and changes in our family and ministry. That pushed my Plexus updates to the back burner, if you will. I apologize for that, but I trust you understand.

Even now we are still not entirely well, physically, from a sickness we contracted, and our transition from road ministry to stationary church ministry are consuming all our time. For that reason, this will be my final update on Plexus, and I will keep it short.

To get right to the point, Plexus did not help me, that I know of, at all. In other words, I didn't notice any visible beneficial changes in my health, weight, energy level, etc. I did not make any major life changes during this journey so I could determine that, if any changes did take place, they were the result of Plexus and not some other factor. In the end, as I said, I experienced no noticeable physical changes good or bad as a result of taking Plexus Slim and the supplements.

Now, does that mean that Plexus doesn't work? Does it mean that all those people who claim it has helped them are frauds? Absolutely not! My experience does not necessarily translate to the absolute truth about Plexus. What didn't work for me most certainly can work for someone else, and knowing the character of many who say they've been helped, I'm convinced it has helped them. It just didn't help me.

So bottom line: Plexus seems like a safe product to take, and there is a chance it could help you in your life. There is also a chance it won't help you. In the end, you'll have to make the decision for yourself.

I want to thank David Jill Noyes Rodrigues for their help and encouragement in this journey, and I wish them all of God's best as they continue to promote Plexus and try to better the lives of others. I'm sorry it didn't work for me. Truthfully, I wish it had. But, we love you guys just the same and appreciate your friendship.

 

 

[JMarie]

On 9/28/2017 at 7:12 PM, VaSportsMom said:

'near a window wearing just a diaper utilizing a hair dryer to keep her warm,'

Why didn't I learn about this nifty hair dryer trick while I was in nursing school?

[jozina]

Yeah I'm with Apple (I'm a dr). If the jaundice was severe enough that the baby ended up dying that quickly then a lot more would have been going on which would have likely needed intervention. Depending on when she was born/reviewed the following day that's either too early or very much on the early side for jaundice to be showing up if it's just from poor feeding. I'd be curious to see what else the autopsy said, because the two details mentioned (unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia and kernicterus) could come from regular old neonatal jaundice which hadn't been treated or an underlying issue.  Given how quickly the poor baby died and the other issues I'd guess there must be an underlying issue as well.  It could be anything from a serious infection, a genetic disorder, the baby's blood reacting to components of the mother's blood or a blockage in their gastrointestinal tract.  They're all pretty much treatable at least in the short term.

Awful, awful people.