For those of you who are following the latest Followers of Christ news, you have probably heard that Dale and Shannon Hickman were each given a 75-month prison sentence for the death of their premature baby boy, David.
Here is a link to that news story: http://www.katu.com/news/local/132936083.html
And here is the Oregonian article about the sentencing: http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-city/index.ssf/2011/10/dale_and_shannon_hickman_of_th.html
Now, the Hickmans' two surviving children will be raised by other members of the church.
What do you think about this sentence?
First-I think the 'midwives' should be sent to prison for practicing medicine without a license. According to this article, the midwife had very little knowledge about premature births? Just, wow.
ReplyDeleteSecond-I think, because of the statement that the wife had very little say due to the Church's focus on 'Man Rules', she should get a little leniency, deprogramming and have at least some early access to her children. Her other two children will suffer greatly and my heart breaks for them. Provide information and supervision for her. If she starts drinking the kool-aid again, introduce her to Ten Ton Tawana, her new room-mate for the next six years.
Third-Okay, Mr. Man, maker of the rules, decider of all fates-here's your orange jumpsuit. Goodbye.
Fourth-I do not understand something about this case. The article reports that the remaining children will be raised by someone else in the Church. However, if they have determined that the 'Church' is an unsafe environment for children, how can the courts leave the children there?
I want to cry. I don't think Shannon should do prison time. This is a very sad situation.
ReplyDeleteYou go Kellinator!
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad for all involved. I wish someone could have stepped up and said wait a minute maybe we should take her to the hospital since that is what society is asking us to do. What would Walter have done since he seems to be the one the church members have chosen to follow. While he was alive he said go to the dentist....this is what the law wants us to do. So why not now, when it has been made very clear to the Followers what is expected of them, do they choose to not take responsibility for their actions and do the thing that would keep them with their children. It has to be this way for change to happen. But it is so so sad.
ReplyDeleteWell, I must say I must live in a bubble, because I'd never heard of this cult until I stumbled on this site today. What an insult these "Followers" are to the true Christ and His church, and what a blessing that you've been liberated from this tragic deception. My heart breaks for all concerned. The devil truly disguises himself as an angel of light. How I long for the day when he finally gets what's coming to him! But I do grieve for those whom he's deceived.
ReplyDeleteI am so torn by this case. Having gone to school with Dale, I remember him as a quiet, kind guy. There was clearly no intent to mistreat their child. Just some lost souls who were acting in the only way they know how. The Hickmans have suffered the ultimate punishment with the loss of a child, and now, they will effectively lose two more. On the other hand, members of the church need to get the message that neglecting your children will not be tolerated, even if you have the best of intentions and are loving them in the only way you've been taught. It's time for someone to step up and lead that flock and for the members to accept the leadership and guidance from within. I don't think the Followers are unreasonable or evil people. They are just lost and need to allow themselves to see that change is not going to doom their souls.
ReplyDeleteThey thumbed their nose at the law until they got caught. When they were about to get sentenced they were asking for mercy for them and their children. Also stating that they would comply with whatever the court directs them to do in the future. Wouldn't it have been a giant Hell of a lot easier to just do what they knew very well the law demanded of them in the first place. The prosecutor ( not persecutor) said it best" they didn't even try to use a religious defense"! The playing stupid, we couldn't tell the baby was even sick, or there wasn't enough time, was all balogna. The jury saw it, the judge saw it, I think they have a real case of these lawyers being completely incompetent. I think they are the same ones that have been used in the past. Correct me if I'm wrong. If they had simply used the defense that they propose to be the truth, they would have only got a little over a year, they tried out this bull defense and got many years, good for them. And don't feel too bad for their children, if they cared for them in the least, they wouldn't have put their family in this position in the first place. When you decide to let your baby die(and this was a decision they made) you have to consider all of the consequences. Not only for you and yours, but also for someone else that actually loses a child under the set of circumstances that they proposed.
ReplyDeleteOn one level I think the verdict is fair. The parents had to know they were breaking the law given all the past legal problems the church members have been through. I'm sure they are being made an example of because of the repeated offenses by the FOC. The court had to get their attention and I'll bet this does it.
ReplyDeleteOn another level it blows me away how hypocritical our laws are. If Shannon had gone to an abortion clinic on the same day and paid someone to crush her baby's brain before he took a breath she'd be "exercising her right to choose" and would be legally untouchable.
Something is very wrong with our society when the right to kill is condoned but the decision to trust in God is punished. We need some sanity back in our justice system.
Oh, my gosh. This comment is old, I know. But I can't help myself. This is a flat-out lie, and one of the reasons why religion and conservatism is so dangerous. This is why the right of a woman to choose to do what she wants with her body is so vehemently opposed by such people.
DeleteNo. It would NOT have been legal for them to go to an "abortion clinic on the same day and paid someone to crush her baby's brain before he took a breath." For that offense, would have landed them in jail for 25 - life. The baby was older than the maximum of 24 weeks. At 24 weeks into the pregnancy, the survival rate of a premie in a hospital goes up to 97%. As opposed to around 10% for a baby in a hospital at 22 weeks.
Even as early as 22 weeks, the vast majority of abortion clinics frown upon abortions.
And also, you don't realize the trauma that a woman goes through, even to consider an abortion. Abortions are NOT done lightly.
Oh, my gosh. This comment is old, I know. But I can't help myself. This is a flat-out lie, and one of the reasons why religion and conservatism is so dangerous. This is why the right of a woman to choose to do what she wants with her body is so vehemently opposed by such people.
DeleteNo. It would NOT have been legal for them to go to an "abortion clinic on the same day and paid someone to crush her baby's brain before he took a breath." For that offense, would have landed them in jail for 25 - life. The baby was older than the maximum of 24 weeks. At 24 weeks into the pregnancy, the survival rate of a premie in a hospital goes up to 97%. As opposed to around 10% for a baby in a hospital at 22 weeks.
Even as early as 22 weeks, the vast majority of abortion clinics frown upon abortions.
And also, you don't realize the trauma that a woman goes through, even to consider an abortion. Abortions are NOT done lightly.
I don't understand one aspect of FoC beliefs. I have heard it said that they believe that what happens to a person (at least health-wise) is God's will. So then what is the logical harm to taking someone to a doctor? If God wants the person to die, then theoretically the doctor will be unsuccessful. Surely they can't believe doctors are more powerful than their God!
ReplyDeleteI think it a travesty that parents are being doubly punished for their beliefs. Right or wrong these are good people with legitimate religious convictions who happened to have the misfortune of a premature birth. Would the baby have had more chances in a hospital? Perhaps, but there would have been no guarantee.
ReplyDeleteIt is entirely illegal to deny medical care to a child. True. It would not have been a 100% guarantee that child would live. More like a 97% guarantee that it would.
DeleteThere is also no guarantee that a child would live after an accident while in hospital. But their chances goes up dramatically, and the law says that a child must receive professional medical attention.
After much soul-searching and reading about the "church" members attitude to keep to themselves, I have come to a very sad conclusion.
ReplyDeleteHow dare the members who know the facts about the case would not come forward to defend that poor young woman. After the baby was born forcibly, Shannon would have been exhausted. She had not seen her baby until after he was dead. How could she be held responsible for the incompetents of untrained women.
No one who assists in the birth, would ever have a woman bear down (push) at the start of labor. That is done at the end part, when the baby is ready to be born.
The people who abandoned her in her time of need for witnesses to save her are the ones responsible for her being imprisoned. All they needed to do was open their mouths and tell the truth. their cowardly actions were taught to them by their parents. Fear of their elders and peers paralyzed them... Her own people turned their backs on her.