Faith-healing parents convicted in newborn’s death lose appeal to top court
David Hickman was so small when he was born, family members fashioned miniature diapers from a beanie cap and poured breast milk into his mouth with a spoon. He had come into a religious family, one that wanted him to be born at home and trusted only God to take care of him.
It was Sept. 26, 2009, and David had arrived two months premature, weighing 3 pounds, 7 ounces, according to court documents. Despite his small stature, his parents said, he had a healthy glow and strong cry. But hours later he was dying — the color and muscle tone falling from his face.
His father “ran into the room where one of his aunts was holding David and anointed David’s head with olive oil and began to pray,” the Oregon Supreme Court wrote last week in an opinion. “He sat in a chair by the bed, held David in his arms, and prayed. … Over the next few minutes, David turned blue, then gray.”
His parents, Dale and Shannon Hickman, were later found guilty of manslaughter for failing to seek medical attention for their newborn son. The conviction was upheld last week by the Oregon Supreme Court, meaning the couple will continue to serve their six-year prison sentence.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/10/15/oregon-supreme-court-upholds-faith-healing-conviction-in-newborns-death/?tid=trending_strip_3