BABY DUMP NEWS, May 31, 2007–v7 #22
May 31, 2007 – 12:44 pm
BABY DUMP NEWS:
A WEEKLY E-CHRONICLE OF NEWBORN ABANDONMENT
INFANTICIDE,
SAFE HAVEN LEGISLATION
AND RELATED ISSUES
May 31 , 2007–v7 #22
Distributed weekly by:
Marley Elizabeth Greiner, Executive Chair, Bastard Nation
Disclaimer: Some newspapers keep articles on 7-14 days (or less) free access and then forward them to paid archives. Please feel free to send articles and websites of interest to maddogmarley@worldnet.att.net
All links are tested just before sending.
READ: The Daily Bastardette, safe haven and adoption commentary,
http://bastardette.blogspot.com and www.myspace.com/maddogmarley
***ANNOUNCEMENT***
I apologize for being late in publishing BDN.
Instead of doubling up, I will be sending late BDN’s separately a few days apart.
THANKS: Ron
May 22, 2007: Bastard Nation Letter to Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle: Please Veto HB 1830 Baby Dump
***THIS WEEK***
ARIZONA–State considers death penalty in Tureman case
CALIFORNIA–Kalita Thomas gets 6 months
NEW JERSEY–McCabes go to court in drowning death of newborn grandson
NORTH CAROLINA–Safe Haven laws are “pro-life
CANADA–Wal-Mart mom turns self in
INDIA–Another eunuch story
…and more!
***STATES***
ARIZONA
(Phoenix) Arizona Republic, May 24, 2007
Death penalty is an option in newborn-drowning case
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0524netureman0524.html#
SCOTTSDALE–Update on Cynthia Tureman case (BDN v7 #17-18, 19). State considering death penalty. Hearing postponed because state-paid attorney hadn’t been notified.
CALIFORNIA
KTVU-TV, San Francisco, May 30, 2007
Mother pleads no contest to Richmond baby abandonment
http://www.ktvu.com/news/13413395/detail.html
RICHMOND–Update on Kalita Thomas, 24, case (BDN v7 #9). Thomas who left baby in wooded area sentenced to 5 years probation and 2 year in county jail after pleading no contest to felony child endangerment.
LOUISIANA
Shreveport Times, May 30, 2007
Mayor Glover named Champion for Children
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070530/NEWS01/705300330/1002/NEWS
SHREVEPORT–Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover, author of SH law, named “Champion for Children by Prevent Child Abuse Louisiana.
NEW JERSEY
UPI, May 29, 2007
Couple charged
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/05/29/couple_charged_with_drowning_newborn/9776/
SOMERVILLE–Update on Patrick and Deborah McCabe case (BDN v6 #20). Judge must decide if McCabes should be tried separately; accused of leaving 16-year old daughter’s newborn in toilet for 2 hours.
NEW YORK
Newsday, May 25, 2007
Mom arrested for dumping newborn in bushes
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-libaby0526,0,1587980.story?coll=ny-linews-headlines
WEST BABYLON–Update on Kathryn Longendyke case (BDN v7 #21). Longendyke pleads not guilty to 1st degree reckless endangerment and child abandonment. Faces 3 2/3-11 years in prison. Bond set at $5,000, but released her on recognizance. Defense attorney says Longngyke has been “consumed” with taking care of sick family member. Works as waitress and in Dept of Theatre costume shop at Adelphia University.
NORTH CAROLINA
Winston-Salem Journal, May 30, 2007
Pro-life bill
WINSTON-SALEM–Editorial in support of SH; endorses bill “shepherded” through legislature, by Rev. Mark Creech from Christian Action League to put SH in curriculum. Creech complains that “social conservatives who profess to be pro-life” are his toughest opposition. Creech says, “It’s not a serious argument to say young people will learn from this that they can get pregnant and just give up their babies to someone else.” The bill, Creech says, would use the “most efficient means” to provide young women with critical information. Editorial says that this is THE pro-life bill of the year.
OHIO
Toledo Blade, May 27, 2007
Remember “safe haven”
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070527/OPINION02/705260306
TOLEDO–Editorial update on Riverside Park case (BDN v7 #19, 21). Baby named Parker Matthew Findlay by nurses. Claims abandoning mother was “apparently unaware” of SH. Safety and health officials need to do more to promote law.
PENNSYLVANIA
Philadelphia Inquirer, May 25, 2007
Drexel Hill woman released on bail in death of newborn
UPPER DARBY–Update on Mia Sardella case (BDN v7 #4, 5, 8, 10-11, 21). Baby named Emma Grace. Sardella released on bond; prelim set for May 31.
TEXAS
Bryan-College Station Eagle, May 30, 2007
Attorney seeks to suppress evidence
http://www.theeagle.com/stories/053007/local_20070530022.php
BRYAN–Update on Jeannie Chiniewicz case BDN v5 #41; v6 #15, 1, 17, 18; v 7 #7) Chiniewicz’s attorneys asks court to throw out video interview she gave with Brazos County sheriff’s investigators in April 2006 as well as items retrieved during a search, and DNA analysis. Capital murder trial set for November. Remains free on $100,000 bond. Chiniewicz, a reporter, is charged with leaving newborn baby in raceway restroom trash.
***CANADA***
SASKATCHEWAN
Prince Albert Daily Herald News, May 24, 2007
Police release surveillance video images in case of abandoned baby
http://www.paherald.sk.ca/index.cfm?sid=32017&sc=4
PRINCE ALBERT–Update on Wal-Mart case (BDN v7 #21). Police release security tape of woman suspected of leaving newborn in restroom. Spent only 14 minutes in store.
CJAD-AM, Montreal, May 25, 2007
Surveillance tape fails to identify Sask. woman who abandoned baby in washroom
(no longer online)
PRINCE ALBERT–Release to public of Wal-mart security tape results in a few tips, but no real leads. Woman who claims she was in next stall calls radio show and says she didn’t report groaning woman and drops of blood on floor to police or employees for fear of what she had seen. Walt-Mart holds fundraiser in parking lot to raise money for baby’s trust fund.
CBC-Saskatchewan, May 25, 2007
Abandoned baby legislation not needed: justice minister
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2007/05/25/baby-abandoned.html
REGINA–Justice Minister Frank Quennell says SH legislation in province wouldn’t be effective. “The child abandonment offence, of course, is an offence in the Criminal Code. Nothing in provincial legislation would change that. But we can certainly have a policy about whether we enforce it and when we enforce it.” Already government policy is not to prosecute mothers who leave babies at hospitals, clinics, social services, family services and rural RCMP detachments. Not likely that women who leave babies in other locations would be prosecuted, but government maintains right.
Toronto Globe and Mail, May 26, 2007
Mother of abandoned baby comes forward
(paid archives)
PRINCE ALBERT–Wal-mart mother, accompanied by family, comes forward, Police release little information but say she is from Le Ronge about 325 metres from Saskatoon and over the age of 18.
Regina Leader-Post, May 26, 2007
Editorial: More help, not more laws
REGINA–Admits that abandonment can end in tragedy. but points out that abandonment cases are rarely prosecuted in Canada. Saskatchewan policy is to not enforce Criminal Code when mothers turn babies over to hospitals, clinics, child protection, social services or family service agencies. Prosecutorial discretion used in dangerous abandonment cases. “Rather than focus on a legal response, the province could do a better job of letting young women now there are many agencies that can help if they’re overwhelmed with a pregnancy. Better still, improved education and access to contraception would prevent unwanted pregnancies that end in heartbreak.”
Prince Albert Daily Heard, May 27, 2007
Abandoned baby’s rights denied: advocate
http://www.paherald.sk.ca/index.cfm?sid=32550&sc=4
PRINCE ALBERT–Grant Wilson, president of the Canadian Children’s Right Council says Wal-Mart baby needs to be properly ID’d and father should be located. Complains that authorities didn’t do enough to find mother quickly.
Edmonton Sun, May 29, 2007
Commentary by Mindelle Jacobs: Distressed mom had alternatives
(paid archives)
EDMONTON–Likes idea of SH. Says shame and selfishness drive women to abandon. Complains of mothers playing victim.
.
***INTERNATIONAL***
ENGLAND
Community Care, May 31, 2007
Gillian Pugh on the history of child poverty
LONDON–Pugh, former CEO of the Corham Family discusses her new book London’s Forgotten Children and the history of the Foundling Hospital, which wasn’t really for foundlings (or a hospital), but a place where illegitimate children were taken to by their mothers. Picture.
INDIA
New Kerala, Ma 24, 2007
Eunuchs give shelter to unwanted girls
http://www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=32533
RATLAM–More on adopting eunuchs (BDN v7 #21). Ratlam’s eunuch Guru Poonman Jaan asked parents who don’t want to keep girl children to hand them over to her. Says she got adoption inspiration when a local resident gave her a sick month-old infant Sonu, now 2 1/2 years old, with the superstitious belief that it would be cured in the spell of charm of eunuchs. Sonu now in private school……. Poonman says she wants to better girls live and make them engineers, doctors or bureaucrats.
JAPAN
Japan Times, May 27, 2007
Baby hatch gives rise to empty moralizing
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fd20070527pb.html
TOKYO–Long commentary on baby hatch and public moralizing takes both sides to task.
Japan Times, May 30, 2007
Baby Hatch is not the answer
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/rc20070530a1.html
KUMAMOTO–Commentary by Krishna Hakar from Clearwater, FL who has worked with children and families for over 20 years. “People will abandon children of all ages regardless of any system, but finding a 3-year old toddler on the first day of the facility’s operation should be taken as a warning about the misguided compassion of this hospital and city…I suppose the idea will be well-liked by adoptive parents who would love to sever all semblance of a possible connection with biological parents.” Suggests that the answer to unwanted children or parental inability to rear a child is a “better-trained, scrutinized and well-paid government or private agency staff ” that monitors parental care.
MALAWI
Daily Times, May 20, 2007
Teenage mother dumps baby in toilet
http://www.dailytimes.bppmw.com/article.asp?ArticleID=4789
NTCHEU–Rebecca Alinane, 19, arrested on suspicion of throwing newborn baby down pit latrine. Police say she gave birth alone while husband was asleep. Grandmother heard baby crying from toilet, but by the time latrine could be demolished baby was dead.
Daily Times, May 28, 2007
Police looking for baby dumper
http://www.dailytimes.bppmw.com/article.asp?ArticleID=4850
LIMBE–Police looking for woman who left 1-2 week old baby in maize field. Doctors believe baby was premature
RUSSIA
RIA Novosti, May 29, 2007
Newborn found in bag on Moscow street
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070529/66236371.html
MOSCOW–Man finds baby in “suspicious bag” on street. Police searching for mother.
SOUTH AFRICA
iol.com, May 25, 2007
Dumped newborn survives icy conditions
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20070525002838812C523305
JOHANNESBURG–Boy born hours earlier in hospital, found in plastic bag near apartment complex in -1C weather. Taken to Door of Hope
Sorry, comments for this entry are closed at this time.