A pregnant woman has been told that her baby will be taken from her at birth because she is deemed capable of "emotional abuse", even though psychiatrists treating her say there is no evidence to suggest that she will harm her child in any way.
Social services' recommendation that the baby should be taken from Fran Lyon, a 22-year-old charity worker who has five A-levels and a degree in neuroscience, was based in part on a letter from a paediatrician she has never met.
Hexham children's services, part of Northumberland County Council, said the decision had been made because Miss Lyon was likely to suffer from Munchausen's Syndrome by proxy, a condition unproven by science in which a mother will make up an illness in her child, or harm it, to draw attention to herself.
Under the plan, a doctor will hand the newborn to a social worker, provided there are no medical complications. Social services' request for an emergency protection order - these are usually granted - will be heard in secret in the family court at Hexham magistrates on the same day.
From then on, anyone discussing the case, including Miss Lyon, will be deemed to be in contempt of the court.
Miss Lyon, from Hexham, who is five months pregnant, is seeking a judicial review of the decision about Molly, as she calls her baby. She described it as "barbaric and draconian", and said it was "scandalous" that social services had not accepted submissions supporting her case.
2,000 babies are taken from parents in the UK every year, as a sort of precaution I suppose. That's called "kidnapping" when anyone else does it, of course. . .
Baby farming is the way ahead for us over here. These little gold mines are not prone to suffer from either foot and mouth, or mad cow's disease, or bird flu.
We need a reliable and profitable livestock industry, and children are the way ahead.
UK Skins Fan wrote:Baby farming is the way ahead for us over here. These little gold mines are not prone to suffer from either foot and mouth, or mad cow's disease, or bird flu.
We need a reliable and profitable livestock industry, and children are the way ahead.
