Is Carlsen a Kidnapper, or a Hero?

The story of Tina Carlsen and baby Riley is making national headlines, and very few media outlets are getting the story straight. Here's a quick synopsis, as well as the facts as I understand them.

Riley Rogers was diagnosed with a kidney disease which was life-threatening in the long term, but posed no short-term danger. This malady was genetic, and several members of Carlsen's family have the same defect. Some of those family members were able to undergo an alternative treatment that would not require surgery (and more importantly, would not require the child to be on dialysis for the rest of his life). Children's Hospital insisted that the surgery was not only necessary, but was required immediately, and would not discuss any alternative treatments with Carlsen.

This diagnosis was made based on statistical probability, rather than Carlsen's own medical history, and Carlsen (quite rightly) resisted having the child undergo the surgery, wanting a second opinion. Children's was insistent that not only was the surgery necessary, but needed to happen immediately. Children's petitioned the state to review the case, and they granted custody of the child to the hospital so that the surgery could be performed. Carlsen proceeded to do what any mother would do after weeks of trying to negotiate with the hospital ... she took the child from the people that wanted to hurt her baby.

Children's called the Washington State Patrol and exaggerated the situation, claiming the child was in immediate danger, so that the authorities would issue the national Amber Alert. The Medical Director at Children's even said that the condition of Riley did not constitute any imminent danger, yet the Amber Alert had everyone believing that a child had been kidnapped by a violent abductor, rather than a parent trying to assert her rights to refuse unnecessary treatment for her child.

Once Carlsen and Riley were found, Carlsen was arrested and booked on kidnapping charges, and now has a criminal record. Riley had the surgery which will cause him to be in and out of hospitals for the rest of his life.

I'm extremely disappointed with how Children's Hospital decided to handle this situation. I have always known them to be a reputable facility, and I've supported the Penny Arcade "Child's Play" organization which gives toys and video games to these hospitals nationwide. But in this case, Children's tried to defraud the parent into having surgery performed on her child (despite her own knowledge that it was unnecessary), and when that failed, defrauded the police and the public to have an Amber Alert issued.

There are still lingering questions, as well as opposing viewpoints. Some see this as a victory of the system, others see it as a perversion of justice. All I want to know is how this is going to set precedent for future parental rights issues.

Technorati tags: Justice, Children's Hospital, Amber Alert