Medically Kidnapped Texas Teen Suffers Seizures, Medical Neglect in State Care

Texas parents Claire and William Rembis are scared for their son's health since he was taken from his family in late August 2016. Alex, who is almost 16, has a seizure disorder that was under control when he lived at home with his parents and 10 siblings. But he has recently been experiencing more seizures, and his parents believe that the actions of Child Protective Services social workers and the staff of the group home he was placed in have put his health in serious danger. According to Claire: "Alex has had uncontrollable seizures ever since being in CPS custody & there is a history of the group home not giving him his medications." Recently, the Rembis parents were thrown out of Covenant Children's Hospital, the hospital where Alex was being treated, despite a court document ordering that "Mr. and Mrs. Rembis will attend all medical appointments pertaining to their children ...." They hadn't caused any problems or done anything to provoke being thrown out. The doctor and hospital security were allegedly enforcing the wishes of the CPS social worker, who insisted that the parents leave the hospital. Claire said that they simply wanted to be with their son during his medical emergency. Like any normal parent, they did not want to leave his side until they knew he was no longer in danger, and until they had some answers. Instead, they were forced to leave without the answers that they desperately sought.

Nurse Vaccinated During Pregnancy with Flu Shot Accused of Shaken Baby Syndrome

Nurses in both the U.S. and the U.K. are coming under increased pressure to get the flu shot as a condition of employment. One nurse regrets her decision to receive the flu shot while she was pregnant. Her child was born with serious medical conditions, and upon admitting him to the hospital she was accused of abusing her child, as was the child's father. They were later both cleared of any wrongdoing, but they lost custody of their son.

Texas Parents Accused of Child Abuse but Claim Medical Evidence Overlooked

A couple in West Texas was devastated when they were accused of abusing their 6 week old daughter. Michelle and Elliot Wallace began seeking answers after the explanations given by doctors placed the blame on the parents and landed their baby in foster care. They have since learned that baby Eva sustained injuries at birth, injuries which are known complications of the kind of difficult birth that their baby had. These injuries were overlooked at the time of her birth, but are now the very injuries that doctors are claiming are caused by Shaken Baby Syndrome. Meanwhile, criminal charges have been filed against the father for a crime he claims never happened.

Indiana Parents Lose Their Baby and 2 Years of Their Lives in Jail for “Abuse” They Say Never Happened

An Indiana couple watches their mailbox with dread, waiting for the papers they hope will never come - papers saying that their young son has been adopted out. Laura Gellinger and Dylan Day haven't seen their son in over 2 years, after they took their then 3 month old baby to the hospital for a minor injury and were subsequently accused of child abuse. They each spent 2 years in jail and are currently on probation after their son was found to have multiple fractures in various stages of healing. A family history of osteoporosis, on both sides, was ignored, and there was only minimal testing for any other possible medical explanation for baby Jackson Day's alleged injuries. But the parents say that they were never adequately represented in court by their public defenders, and that the social workers involved in their case presented false testimony against them. Could this be a case of innocent parents being unjustly accused, and imprisoned, for something that they didn't do? Laura's parents believe so, and Laura and Dylan maintain that they don't know what actually happened, and that they never hurt their baby.

Ruling Alters Legal Landscape in NY Shaken-baby Cases

For the first time, a New York appellate court has ruled that evidence once used to convict people in shaken-baby cases may no longer be scientifically valid. The ruling, which came in the case of René Bailey, a Greece woman convicted of causing the death of a child in 2001, has implications for a number of other people in state prisons for shaken-baby offenses. In this area alone, several dozen people have been convicted of murder or assault in such cases. The appeals court decision, released Thursday, changes the legal landscape in New York for alleged shaken baby cases, said Brian Shiffrin, a local appellate lawyer who was not involved in the case. “It makes it both easier for defense attorneys to argue the science and it puts the burden back on prosecutors to show there is evidence to support the theory of shaken baby syndrome,” said Shiffrin, who has handled appeals of shaken-baby convictions.

Grandmother Fights Against Government Child Trafficking in North Carolina

A North Carolina grandmother writes: "Why does CPS have to put a price tag on children's heads? I never thought in my life that child trafficking would be legal in our own government. I don't have much hope anymore and my pain is ongoing since the day they took him. We are just another family that's lost in this corrupted government kidnapping our children." Her grandson has been forcibly taken from her family and currently lives with strangers, through the Child Protective System. His grandmother, Kimberly Deese, is one of thousands of parents and grandparents who view the actions of Child Protective Services as literally being a form of legalized child trafficking. It has been one year since Health Impact News first reported the heartbreaking story of Malakai, a little boy who was medically kidnapped from his family and has suffered abuse and malnutrition since being in state custody.

Dr. Squier Wins Appeal but Banned from Telling the Truth in Court about Shaken Baby Syndrome

In March 2016, after being publicly humiliated and having her career torn to shreds by the General Medical Council (GMC), pediatric neuropathologist and expert defense witness Dr. Waney Squier was found guilty of “misleading her peers, being irresponsible, dishonest and bringing the reputation of the medical profession into disrepute.” However, if the GMC thought that that was the end of the matter, then they were mistaken, because less than eight months later, Dr. Squier was back to appeal their decision, and this time, she was not alone. After she had been discredited months earlier, 350 doctors, scientists and lawyers rallied together in her support, and in an unprecedented move had written a letter of protest to the British Medical Journal (BMJ), questioning the GMC’s decision. Professionals were not the only ones demanding answers, because since their decision, the GMC have been bombarded with petitions and letters from parents and supporters from all over the world. It appears that the overwhelming support for this professional has had the desired effect, because in October 2016, Dr. Waney Squier won her appeal. However, despite winning her appeal, as expected, there was a catch, and although Dr. Squier’s name was returned to the medical register, she has been prevented from giving evidence as an expert witness for another three years, which many believe was her punishment for standing up to the establishment.

Tennessee Children with Brittle Bones Suffer in State Care as Mom Charged with SBS

Chris and Keshia Turner from East Tennessee are still waiting to bring their son Brayden home since he was removed from their custody on December 11, 2014. Keshia had rushed the baby to the emergency room when his leg that had been splinted in the NICU became tight and warm to the touch. While at the hospital, an x-ray revealed a broken bone and several rib fractures. The following day, Keshia took Brayden to his pediatrician to follow-up on his care. There she found herself confronted with law enforcement and a Department of Children’s Services worker who demanded that she take Brayden to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, nearly three hours away. That evening, Vanderbilt Medical Center Child Abuse Specialist Dr. Deborah Lowen said that Brayden’s injuries could only be abuse, and investigators and doctors allegedly stopped looking for another explanation.

Idaho Mom Loses Two Children for Using Medical Cannabis to Stop Seizures

An Idaho mother has lost custody of her two children due to her state's strict laws regarding marijuana, where it is not legal even for medical purposes for physicians to prescribe. Kelsey Osborne, 23, has lost custody of her two young children, son Ryker and daughter Madyson aged two and three respectively, to state Child Protective Services (CPS). Both children were removed even though only Madyson was allegedly treated with cannabis during a horrific seizure episode. Her seizures were allegedly the result of withdrawal side effects from getting off of Risperdal, an anti-psychotic drug. Kelsey now faces the charge of “causing injury to a child.”

Los Angeles County Sued for Millions in Medical Kidnapping Case

After a six-year court battle, a mother in Los Angeles who lost custody of her 15-month-old baby through false abuse charges won a major battle for parental rights last week. When Rafaelina Duval’s son Ryan was seized by L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in 2010, she was falsely accused of intentionally starving him. He had been diagnosed by a pediatrician with “failure to thrive,” but the doctor at the time also noted that the child was in no immediate danger, according to Duval’s attorney, Shawn McMillan. In a stunning blow to Los Angeles County, the jury found that its DCFS social workers “intentionally and willfully” seized her child without a warrant, and did so “with malice.” Additionally, the jury found that the county DCFS had “an official custom and/or practice of seizing children from their parents without a warrant” and failed “to enact an official policy or procedure when it should have done so.” The jury awarded Duval $2.94 million in compensatory damages, plus $165,000 after finding in a separate verdict that she was the victim of discrimination.