RELATED CONVERSATIONS:
BLOG ARCHIVES:
- 2012
- 2011
- 2010
- 2009
- 2008
RECENTLY ON TOL:
TOL Our Town
- A tumblr site dedicated to the people and places that make up Oregon and Southwest Washington.
TAGS:
Faith-Healing Verdict
The verdict is in on a controversial faith-healing case of Dale and Shannon Hickman: they've been found guilty of manslaughter in the death of their son.
The Hickmans were facing charges for not having called 9-1-1 when their newly born son began showing signs of dire health only hours after his birth. The Hickmans were members of the Followers of Christ Church, which has a history of similar events. We've covered those occurrences and their ensuing trials in the past.
The Hickmans won't face the minimum six year, three month sentece for manslaughter, however. A religious exemption existed on the books until after the Hickmans were indicted, which means they won't likely face more than 18 months in prison and a $250,000 fine.
You may have heard our show on the trial of Dale and Shannon Hickman a couple weeks ago. We talked to Rep. Carolyn Tomei, who sponsored the bill that struck the religious exemption from the law. She said the intent of the reform wasn't to bring people to trial or put them in prison, but but to prevent similar situations from happening again..
With the Hickmans' trial over, future faith-healing cases will now be tried in accordance with the revised law.
April Baer with OPB News has the latest on the case.
