UPDATED::Parents face charges in connection to Calgary infant’s death | CTV Calgary News

UPDATE:: Calgary couple Jeromie and Jennifer Clark found guilty in their toddler’s death

A jury has convicted a Calgary couple in the death of their 14-month-old son who never saw a doctor until the day before he died in hospital of a staph infection.

Jeromie and Jennifer Clark were found guilty of criminal negligence causing death and failure to provide the necessaries of life for their son John.
,,,

The forensic pathologist's report said John was malnourished and died from a staph infection.

The trial heard that John died the day after he was brought to hospital, where he had a seizure and two cardiac arrests.

The Clarks' lawyers argued doctors at the Alberta Children's Hospital were to blame because they raised the boy's sodium and fluid levels too aggressively. They also argued he was neither malnourished nor septic.

And people wondered why, this story when it first hit the news, was such a big deal

Following an investigation into the death of a 14 month old boy in November of 2013, Calgary police have charged the child’s biological parents.

On the afternoon of November 28, 2013, the child, John Clark, was admitted to the Foothills Hospital in Calgary after his parents sought medical attention at the insistance of a family member.

John was transported to the Alberta Children's Hospital for additional medical treatment but passed away in hospital the following day.

An autopsy and additional tests confirmed the child’s death was the result of a Staph infection complicated by malnutrition.

According to police, the parents, Jeromie and Jennifer, attempted to conceal the infant's failing health.

"We believe that the family followed a strict dietary regiment based on their beliefs," said CPS S/Sgt. Doug Andrus. The Clarks are strict vegans and Seventh Day Adventists.

[,,,]
According to CPS S/Sgt. Doug Andrus, the child was not born in a hospital and received no medical attention from professionals during his brief life.

Pastor Randy Barber says the extended Clark family has worshipped at the Central Seventh Day Adventist Church in northwest Calgary for years, but Jeromie Clark and his wife stopped attending services without explanation.

"He became very radical, very controlling with his wife," recollects Pastor Barber. "They disappeared and we haven't seen them for about eight years."

Parents face charges in connection to Calgary infant’s death | CTV Calgary News

Topeka city councilman Jonathan Schumm, wife arrested Thursday after child abuse investigation; couple has 16 children | CJOnline.com

http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/Topeka-city-councilman-wife-arrested-for-child-abuse-351984611.html

So this is how it started,,,

Topeka City Councilman Jonathan Schumm, who as a candidate pledged to make public safety “my top priority,” and his wife, Allison Nicole Schumm, were arrested Thursday in connection with aggravated battery and other offenses in which the victims were children.

Warrants were obtained earlier on Thursday for the arrests of the Schumms, a statement issued by the city of

Topeka said, and the warrants were served on Thursday evening.

Later, a bit more information,,,

According to the city's statement, on Wednesday, November 4th, the Kansas Dept. of Children and Families (DCF) asked the Topeka Police Dept. for help investigating reports of physical abuse against children. DCF social workers and police detectives investigated the reports and notified the Shawnee Co. District Attorney's Office, who obtained the arrest warrant.
,,,
Court documents list five children as victims, all between the ages of five and 16. In detailing accounts of Aggravated Battery and Abuse of a Child, the document states a 12-year-old was tortured, or cruelly beaten by the Schumm's.

It get's worse,,, 

In 2013, the same year the family was given an award for their adoption activities, Kansas DCF investigators were looking into allegations that Jonathan Schumm and his wife had abused a child. A child’s foster care family had accused the Topeka councilman and Allison of “inflicting bruises” on him, and possibly abusing other children inside the home.

Allison wrote about the visit from Kansas child protective services staffers on her blog. She said that she took a trip to Manhattan to visit her family because she didn’t want to “deal with DCF at that point.” She also wrote that the children involved in the DCF investigation were separated from the rest of the family during this time.

“Up to this point, nobody had told us anything other than you can’t see the children. At this point we decided to leave all the children who the charges weren’t addressing at my mother-in-law’s house and only bring home the children the DCF wanted to talk to,” Allison Schumm wrote. “I was still terrified, but knew that I would need to trust God for His protection of our family.”

Much worse, according to Wonkette,,,

,,,We come knowing that people can snap on a kid, not out of malice but out of a lack of any more rope. And we wonder why the fuck social workers in the state of Kansas allowed this woman to adopt eight more children after she wrote this:

Here is my Desperate. My need to breath. Shortly after Kyrsten was born, I started getting sicker. I had been sick most of my life, but doctors had never been able to tell me what was wrong. After she was born I kept getting sicker and sicker. I was suffering from depression, bipolar, IBS, numbness in my hands, complex migraines, regular migraines, insomnia and fatigue. Being a mom of 8 at the time, I couldn’t understand why God would give me 8 beautiful children and then allow me to be unable to care for them.

So what did Allison Nicole Schumm do after releasing her burden to God? She and her husband adopted eight more kids, and she homeschooled them, with three still in diapers. And the state of Kansas, apparently, was just peachy with that — if by “peachy,” you mean “they tried to disrupt the second family adoption due to ‘unfounded’ abuse allegations, but people ‘lobbied’ to let the Schumms hoard kids and why does this remind us of Justin Harris anyway?”

Topeka city councilman Jonathan Schumm, wife arrested Thursday after child abuse investigation; couple has 16 children | CJOnline.com

See also::

• Jonathan Schumm, Topeka city councilman, appears in court with handcuffs, notes children's removal from home
• 16 Children of Jonathan and Allison Schumm
• Jonathan and Alison Schumm Abuse Case Raises Questions

I was surprised that the family received an Angels in Adoption award with (apparently) so little vetting. I read through the linked posts in which Allison tells her family’s adoption story (part 1, part 2, and part 3) and found additional details. It seems the Angels in Adoption award was not the only one the family received. Shortly before adopting the second sibling group of five, the Schumms received the “Project Belong 2013 Adoptive Family of the year” award. I also learned that the Schumms were initially told they would not be permitted to adopt this second sibling group, because they already had eight children (three biological and five adopted). 

Rebecca Kandare's parents jailed for manslaughter of 'emaciated' baby | Daily Mail Online

 

An 'emaciated' baby died after her parents left her in the care of a churchgoer with 'supernatural healing powers' because their extreme religious beliefs banned modern medicine.

Brian Kandare, 29, and Precious Kandare, 37, have been jailed after admitting the manslaughter of eight-month-old Rebecca, who died from pneumonia in January last year.

She stopped breathing at her parents' Apostolic Church of God, where a 20-strong congregation held prayers in a converted garage in the back garden of a house.

At the time of her death Rebecca weighed just 11lb 9oz, there was no trace of food or milk in her stomach and she was suffering from the worst case of rickets an expert has seen in his 33-year career, Nottingham Crown Court heard.

,,,

 The stark reality of this case is that the defendants placed a higher value on adherence to the church's teachings than their daughter's welfare.'

Their church, the Apostolic Church of God in Wolverhampton, had strict views on modern healthcare with members of the congregation encouraged to speak to the church's 'midwife', who had no formal qualifications, before seeking further help for medical problems.

Members could also be excluded from certain church activities if they went to a doctor without permission, the court heard.

But Mr Hankin said it was 'difficult to ascertain' why neither parent did more to maintain their daughter's health.

He added: 'Rebecca's death was a direct consequence of a prolonged course of wilful neglect, which involved a failure to provide an adequate supply of sufficiently nutritious food and denial of access to medical aid.

'The symptoms of wasting and malnutrition developed over time.

Rebecca Kandare's parents jailed for manslaughter of 'emaciated' baby | Daily Mail Online

UPDATE: Franklin guilty on all child-abuse charges

 

 
Although there are hints "Franklin later wrote in her journal that she was thankful God had stopped her from doing something 'stupid',,," that the crimes committed were religiously motivated, ",,,forcing her to read and write Bible versus as punishment,,," and hidden by homeschooling, the depravity of some humans toward living, breathing children is galling. 

Correction, more than just hints, Neighbors: Mom accused of child abuse said she did what the Bible says.  So, yet again we have individuals acting on their “sincerely held religious beliefs" and committing horrible crimes in the name of religion. I should have just stuck to the original article instead of digging for more, the details are disgusting. 

A Taylor County woman accused of abusing her adopted teenage daughter and locking her in a chicken coop was found guilty Monday on all 28 counts.

Franklin's lawyer, Kevin Bradley asked the judge if she could remain free until after Thanksgiving. The judge said no and explained that Franklin is now a convicted felon.

Diana Franklin stood quietly in the courtroom while the jury read the verdict. She was found guilty on all 28 charges including cruelty to children, false imprisonment and aggravated assault. That's after she and her husband were accused of beating their adopted teenage daughter, starving her and locking her in a chicken coop.
,,,
After the verdict was read, Taylor County Sheriff Jeff Watson handcuffed Franklin and escorted her out of the courtroom. "I've been in law enforcement 25 years, 11 years as a GBI agent. I've worked several homicide cases and child abuse cases, but this is, by far, one of the worst ones. It's at the top," said Watson.

The jury deliberated about an hour and 50 minutes. Franklin's sentencing is scheduled for December 8th at the courthouse.
,,,
She could face a sentence of more than 400 years in prison.

UPDATE: Franklin guilty on all child-abuse charges

See also:

• Child allegedly strapped to pull-up bar and beaten
• Journal entries confess knowing of sexual abuse on child
• Social workers recall finding teen girl who was kept locked in shed

Stop Transporting Exodus 22:18 to Africa, Evangelists; It’s Killing and Torturing Children.

Exodus 22:18 says, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.”

Here in the states, where we don’t take the Old Testament seriously and that verse is an embarrassment most Christians would prefer to ignore, it doesn’t have too much of an affect.

But as the influence of Christianity is waning in the West, fundamentalist Christianity is being exported to other populations.  And they, like the Old Testament “God,” apparently, do believe that there are witches. >br>
In Swaziland, as recently as 2013, there was a law banning witches from flying above a height of 150 metres.

In the Central African Republic, as of 2010, witch cases took up 40% of the court system’s case load (You know how much we try drug crimes here in the states?  For reference, that’s only 12% of our case load).

In another story written in 2014 about seven witches killed in Tanzania (East Africa) it is noted: “A local rights group, the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), has estimated as many as 500 “witches” are lynched every year, based on reports that counted some 3, 000 people killed between 2005 and 2011. Many of those killed were elderly women.”

Furthermore, here are some additional cliff notes on the problem from the United Nations Human Rights Office,,,

Stop Transporting Exodus 22:18 to Africa, Evangelists; It’s Killing and Torturing Children.

'Witchcraft' abuse cases on the rise - BBC News

Child abuse linked to exorcism and witchcraft accusations is on the rise, figures obtained by the BBC suggest. 

The Metropolitan Police said there had been 60 crimes linked to faith in London so far this year. It saw reports double from 23 in 2013 to 46 in 2014.

Half of UK police forces do not record such cases and many local authorities are also unable to provide figures.
The NSPCC said authorities "need to ensure they are able to spot the signs of this particular brand of abuse".
London is unique in having a police team, Project Violet, dedicated to this type of abuse.

Its figures relate to crime reports where officers have flagged a case as involving abuse linked to faith or belief. Many of the cases involve children.
,,,
Debbie Ariyo, founder of Africans Unite Against Child Abuse, said accusations were often made when families experienced problems: "Children are blamed - especially stepchildren."

She added that within churches there was often a financial motivation behind accusations.

"The pastor says there's a witch in this church today; looks around and points to a child.

"That means public humiliation for the family. The next step is exorcism which is not done for free. It's a money-making scam."

'Witchcraft' abuse cases on the rise - BBC News

Oregon Court Upholds Convictions of Couple Who Sought 'Faith Healing' Instead of Doctor for Baby

Obviously momma Hickman has no trouble going to the eye doctor for herself!!

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2055855/Faith-healing-couple-Dale-Shannon-Hickman-sentenced-6-years-jail.html

The Oregon Supreme Court has upheld the 2011 manslaughter convictions of a faith-healing couple whose premature baby died after a homebirth when they didn’t seek medical treatment. Dale and Shannon Hickman are members of the Followers of Christ church in Oregon City, which the state said has a long history of children dying from preventable conditions because their parents refused them medical care.

The Hickmans, now both 30 years old, were convicted in 2011. A trial found that when Shannon went into labor two months early in 2009, the couple traveled to her mother’s house instead of a hospital. David Hickman was born weighing three pounds, seven ounces, and lived for less than nine hours. Courthouse News reports those convictions were upheld Thursday after several appeals. 

The Hickmans testified that they “never considered” calling 911, per The Oregonian, and that the infant didn’t start showing signs of distress until about 15 minutes before he died, which state experts said was impossible. David Hickman responded by holding the baby, anointing his head with olive oil, and praying for him, which didn’t work.

Oregon Court Upholds Convictions of Couple Who Sought 'Faith Healing' Instead of Doctor for Baby

The Plight of Children at Risk in the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Communities and the Failure of Government and Pandering Politicians to Protect Them | Marci A. Hamilton | Verdict | Legal Analysis and Commentary from Justia

Children in the United States are routinely sacrificed on the pyre of their parents’ faith by pandering politicians without a moral compass. Children don’t vote but insular religious communities often vote as a bloc mandated by the male officials at the top, and that fact is not lost on power-hungry politicians like those in Utah who let the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS) patriarchs marry off girls and abandon boys so that the men will have a better place in heaven. The same relationship between elected officials and the ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities exists: there are known risks to children but these politicians look the other way as they are feted by the rabbis and a community that keeps children at risk.

It is the time of year when Jews observe a series of important religious holidays beginning with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I submit this column as a subject to be pondered in the midst of celebration and reflection.

As with the FLDS, the ultra-Orthodox communities have put children at risk due to inadequate medical treatment, educational neglect, and mostly undeterred child sex abuse. In an interesting twist, the gender most severely affected in this community is male. Boys are at risk of herpes infection from metzitzah b’peh, or MBP and boys are less educated than girls because their education is focused on the Torah rather than secular subjects. Both, however, are at risk of sexual abuse. As in every community, that risk is significantly higher for the girls than the boys. Therefore, boys and girls in this community need prompt attention from the authorities, and politicians pandering for bloc votes need a conscience check.

The Plight of Children at Risk in the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Communities and the Failure of Government and Pandering Politicians to Protect Them | Marci A. Hamilton | Verdict | Legal Analysis and Commentary from Justia

Religious cult under fire for denying children health care | Hivisasa.com

Religious child maltreatment due to lack of medical care based on religious belief is not just an issue here in the states.  It seems stupidity has no boundaries.

A sect in Nakuru County has come under fire from members of the public for allegedly denying children access to health care due to their faith.

'Kanisa La Mungu' which has several branches in Nakuru Town Estates has been accused of causing the death of a teenager.

David Mugo, 19, died six days after falling sick but his parents failed to take him to hospital claiming that their 'church' is opposed to medical treatment.

Ann Wasike, a clinic officer at the Nakuru Provincial General Hospital said that the deceased was admitted at the hospital following intervention of neighbours and some relatives but he died two days due to weak immunity.
“The youth has never gone to hospital. He had never been immunised due to religious beliefs by his parents,” said Wasike.

Religious cult under fire for denying children health care | Hivisasa.com

What Is It About Religion That Fosters Abuse? | VICE | United States

So what's causing this abuse? In reality, "religion" is a generalized term. Better to specify what kind of religion—or, better still, what kind of culture—fosters it, and how there are varying degrees. Janet Heimlich, one of the world's foremost authors on the topic and writer of the book Breaking Their Will: Shedding Light on Religious Child Maltreatment, says children are more vulnerable to abuse and neglect if they live in religious authoritarian cultures.

"There are three perfect-storm factors that identify a religious culture or community as authoritarian: One, the culture has a strict, social hierarchy. Two, the culture is fearful. And three, the culture is separatist," she told the Huffington Post in 2011. "The more intense these three factors are—the more authoritarian the culture is – the more likely children will be harmed."
,,,
Another renowned writer on the topic, Katherine Stewart—author of The Good News Club: The Christian Right's Stealth Assault on America's Children—told me about the role played by those who I'll call "average peaceful" believers.

"Of course, there is no guilt by association, and people aren't directly responsible for the misdeeds of their coreligionists," she said. "But they do have a significant responsibility. Questions of morality are, to some degree, questions of paying attention. When people join a particular religious group, they don't have the luxury of not paying attention to what that religion and its hierarchy are doing. It doesn't mean they are responsible for misdeeds, but it is irresponsible to maintain ignorance of a pattern of allegations of abuse."
,,,
Stewart adds: "If a religion places a huge stress on obedience and parental authority, sanctions corporal punishment, and emphasizes female disempowerment or subjugation, or the subjugation of other ethnic or religious groups, it lays the foundation for abuse. Of course, this principle does not just apply to religions. If members of any group or community suspect there may be abuse within their midst, they are required to pay attention and address it. We should all demand openness, transparency, and investigation of any allegation of abuse." 


What Is It About Religion That Fosters Abuse? | VICE | United States

Judge rules Jehovah’s Witness boy can receive blood transfusion | World news | The Guardian

A high court judge has ruled that the son of two devout Jehovah’s Witnesses can be given a blood transfusion despite religious objections from his parents.

Mr Justice Moylan was told by doctors that the “very young” boy had suffered severe burns in an accident and might need a blood transfusion.

The judge concluded that a blood transfusion would be in the youngster’s best interests in spite of the “deeply held views” of his mother and father.

Details of the decision have emerged in a written ruling by the judge following a hearing in the family division of the high court in London.

Judge rules Jehovah’s Witness boy can receive blood transfusion | World news | The Guardian

The Reich Exported

Is this the influence of the Reich?  Exported to Africa via the likes of The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power (by Jeff Sharlet);  people like Scott Lively, Mike Brown, Mat Staver, Paul Cameron, Rick Warren, Lou Engle et al.

Reports of Witchcraft-Related Child Abuse On the Rise in London

Kevani Kanda was just six years old when her family accused her of being a witch. She was being molested by a relative and the trauma made her wet the bed and sleepwalk.

But instead of trying to find out what was wrong, Kanda's family were convinced she was possessed by an evil spirit. For the next five years, she was starved, forced to eat her own vomit, beaten repeatedly and given suppositories containing spices to "get rid of the evil spirits." And the torture occurred in a London suburb.

"I never told anyone what was happening to me because to me it was normal," the 25-year-old Christian told NBC News. "That was my normal world back then and unfortunately my teachers did not pick up on the fact I was being horrendously abused."

Kanda isn't alone. London's Metropolitan Police announced this week that reports of abuse where the child is accused of being a witch or possessed by an evil spirit are on the rise. Fourteen years after the force recorded its first allegation of such an incident, there have been at least 27 cases during in 2014 alone.

[,,,]
British authorities acknowledge they have been slow to react but say it is clear the issue is widespread in many religious communities in London.

These "rogue pastors" often tell families that a period of bad luck or even an illness has been caused by that child being possessed. What motivates these religious leaders? "Power, money, greed and control," Kanda said. "A lot of these people who go to church are vulnerable and they are looking for something to hold onto."

"Some of the people who do this are gangsters," added Bob Pull, a communities consultant with the London-based Churches' Child Protection Advisory Service charity. "They are making money out of the worries that people have."

Rise in cases of ritual child abuse linked to witchcraft beliefs reported, say police

Police officers will meet a group including teachers, childcare and health workers at London’s City Hall on Wednesday to discuss how to tackle the issue, which is rarely reported.

Det Supt Terry Sharpe from the Metropolitan police said it was “a hidden crime”.

He said: “Abuse linked to belief is a horrific crime which is condemned by people of all cultures, communities and faiths. A number of high-profile investigations brought the issue of ritual abuse and witchcraft into the headlines but it is important that professionals are clear about the signs to look for.

“Families or carers genuinely believe that the victim has been completely taken over by the devil or an evil spirit, which is often supported by someone who within the community has portrayed themselves as an authority on faith and belief.

“Regardless of the beliefs of the abusers, child abuse is child abuse.”

A new training film will be launched at the event today.

Simon Bass from the Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service said: “We are not remotely surprised that the Metropolitan police alone has already received 27 referrals of this type this year – or three a month.

“We are pleased that the Metropolitan police has undertaken such great work in this area, but we are convinced that this form of abuse is hidden, and that the statutory agencies across the UK are facing similar situations.”

2 New York Infants Get Herpes From Controversial Circumcision Rite – Forward.com

Metzitzah b’peh strikes again!

New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene sent a health alert to doctors July 22 warning of the suspected cases.

In the first case, the baby had pustular lesions on the penis and genital area. He tested positive for herpes and was admitted to hospital for intravenous treatment.

In the second case, the baby developed lesions on his penis, thigh, and foot. The health alert did not say how the baby’s symptoms were treated.

The alert stated that both cases were consistent with transmission of herpes “during direct contact between the mouth of the ritual circumciser and the newly circumcised infant penis.”

Since 2000, 16 infants in New York City are suspected of contracting herpes following MBP. Two of those babies died and at least two others suffered brain damage.

The city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has tried to warn parents of the risks of MBP, which is particularly prevalent among the city’s ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Read more: http://forward.com/articles/202584/-new-york-infants-get-herpes-from-controversial-c/#ixzz39AkwpT63


2 New York Infants Get Herpes From Controversial Circumcision Rite – Forward.com

ADDENDUM::Children's Christian ministry called 'psychologically harmful to children' | Christian News on Christian Today

Though the attached article is not quite as deadly as metzitzah b’peh from my previous post, it still falls under the guise of religious child maltreatment.  The unethical practice of FORCING faith (what some call hereditary religion) on vulnerable children.

A Christian nonprofit, Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), is facing opposition in Portland as it seeks to bring youth to Christ.

The group's "Good News Club" is being called "psychologically harmful to children" by a newly formed coalition – Protect Portland Children.

The Good News Club is a youth ministry in which children are taught about sin, Jesus, and holiness through engaging songs, games, and Bible stories.

On its website, CEF states that "the purpose of Good News Club is to evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and establish (disciple) them in the Word of God and in a local church for Christian living."

Critics of CEF and the Good News Club say the program teaches fundamentalist beliefs to children, and encourages fear, judgment, and divisiveness in youth.

Attorney and blogger Eric Ceynar wrote on his "Intrinsic Dignity" blog that the Club uses shame and fear indoctrination, thought control, attacks on science education, authoritarian conditioning, and deceptive marketing to negatively influence students.

Children's Christian ministry called 'psychologically harmful to children' | Christian News on Christian Today

See also:

Right-Wing Christian Group Tried to Convert This City's Kids — But They're Fighting Back