Oregon Parents Convicted Of Manslaughter For Choosing Prayer Over Medical Help For Child

Dale and Shannon Hickman are members of Follower of Christ Church that believes God heals without medicine.

They were charged in 2009 when their son David died nine hours after he was born two months premature in a church center. An autopsy found he had underdeveloped lungs and staph pneumonia, The Oregonian reported.

Prosecutors argued that a simple trip to the hospital could have saved the infant’s life.

Lawyers for the Hickmans contended the parents didn’t know anything was wrong – and by the time the baby showed signs of distress, there wasn’t enough time to get him to the hospital.

It took jurors less than four hours to find them guilty.

Jurors said church members provided some of the most damaging testimony to the Hickmans.

Lavona Keith, Shannon Hickman’s aunt who is also a church midwife, told jurors, “It wasn’t God’s will for David to live.”

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.