Mom denies refusing C-section, pleads innocent in murder case
No, you really DON'T want me to enlarge this....
There is the merely beyond-hope stupid, and there is stupidity that oozes from every pore and creeps into the realm of the criminal. Melissa Ann Rowland would clearly be found on the "criminally stupid" side of the fence. Yes, I realize that she may well have some serious mental and emotional problems, but her vanity and negligence may well have resulted in the stillbirth of one of her children. If that isn't criminal stupidity, I don't know what is.
SALT LAKE CITY -- The woman charged with murder after allegedly refusing a Caesarean section that doctors say would have saved her twins pleaded innocent Monday.
One of the babies, a boy, was stillborn. The other, a girl, survived and already has been adopted.
Melissa Ann Rowland, 28, appeared in court via video from jail, wearing a yellow jumpsuit and glasses with her hair in a messy ponytail. She spoke only once, saying "no" when the judge asked if she could provide her own attorney. Her attorney entered a plea of innocent for her.
Prosecutors have said she ignored repeated recommendations that she get a C-section. They said she did not want a scar from the surgery.
Rowland denied that she refused a C-section. She said she was told during repeated hospital visits that her babies were fine and was never told she needed emergency surgery.
Rowland also faces child-endangerment charges over the surviving baby, who was found to have cocaine and alcohol in her system. A drug test on Rowland also was positive for cocaine, according to court documents.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I am loathe to advocate eugenics, but not everyone is qualified to have children. A case like this makes that argument without my help. The sad reality is that some people are just too stupid/irresponsible/unprepared/maladjusted to bear, much less raise, children. Don't we as a society have a responsibility to the children that are brought into this world to ensure that they have the best possible opportunity to lead a normal life?
Of course, that is a rhetorical question, and one that will never be answered, since to do so would be to acknowledge that someone or some institution has dominion over someone else's offspring. Ms. Rowland, beyond being a world-class DUMB@$$, is the poster girl for my argument. Let's face it, y'all...DUMB@$$E$ should not be allowed to breed. This is why our prisons are full. Still, who's going to make these decisions? That's what scares the hell out of me. As sad it our current system (or lack thereof) may be, it may be our best and only option.
Let's hope that Ms. Rowland can get her &$%@ together. Might I also suggest that she get her tubes tied?
